


Live, Love, Dance

by xoheda_clexaxo



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Babysitting, Clarke is a 'starving university student', Clexa, Eventual Smut, F/F, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Lexa is a Dancer, Single Mom Lexa, Slow Burn, slow buildup
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-29
Updated: 2018-06-17
Packaged: 2018-10-12 06:12:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10483953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xoheda_clexaxo/pseuds/xoheda_clexaxo
Summary: Clarke is pursuing her university dream without her parents moral/financial support. She needs a job and decides with her class schedule to try and find a 'live-in job' to take care of both her housing and money situations. She sees a flyer for a live-in nanny for none other than Lexa Woods, and the rest is history!OrThe University/Nanny AU





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, i had some personal problems with my ex and a bunch of my stuff went 'poof'. My passwords are now changed so I'm reposting it now, sorry to anyone who was reading it. Hopefully you find it again. The first 3 chapters will be posted only a few days apart since they were already posted. Then I will resume a weekly, or bi weekly posting. Thanks for your understanding! <3

Clarkes POV

_Welcome to University of Arkadia_

Clarke couldn't believe it. She read it again for what must've been the millionth time. She, Clarke Griffin, was actually going to the University of Arkadia. She couldn't believe that she had been accepted into one of the most sought after art programs in the country, and on a scholarship to boot. She had never, even in her wildest dreams, thought that this would be possible. Especially not after her botched attempt last year at her local community college. She tried last year, she really did. But ‘party girl Griffin’ came out in full force, along with a string of bad decisions.

She needed to get away from it all, and this was the fresh start that she so desperately needed. Her parent’s pressure, and their constant need to throw money at everything thinking that it would make everything _'all better'_ had finally gotten the best of her. She had had enough, she put her foot down and finally severed her financial ties with Abby and Jake Griffin. They doubted her and her choices, the _'big one'_ being her choice to pursue art. Her parents wanted her to _‘make something of herself’_ and follow in either one of their career paths. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't, and finally decided that she wouldn't choose their happiness above her own any longer. She was going to show them that she could do this, and without any of their help financially. Of course, they didn't understand, not in the slightest, but she was hoping sooner or later they'd come around and give her the moral support and unconditional love she so craved.

It was an added bonus that her two best friends would be at the U of A with her. Raven Reyes was going into the 3rd year of her smarty pants degree. Raven was one of her favourite people. She was more brilliant than anyone Clarke had ever known, Clarke’s own father included. She was also loyal, funny and beautiful. Raven was the perfect definition of the ideal friend, sass and all. Clarke had been worried when she was in her junior year about Ravens post-secondary fate. Raven was a senior at the time. Her teachers had pushed her ahead a year academically so she wouldn't be so _'bored'_ in class. Not that it helped, Raven was a genius. It had been a stressful couple months, and it had worried Clarke when Raven was turned down by every school she had applied to due to an injury she sustained during their freshman year, which had caused permanent damage to her left leg. Raven had to wear a leg brace, and for the career Raven wanted she had to pass a full physical exam. But that didn't stop Raven; she was too proud and determined. So she picked her favourite school, and borderline harassed them, aweing them with her brilliance, and sure enough she was accepted. Raven was destined for greatness, and when she set her mind to something, there was no changing it. 

Then there was Octavia Blake. While the three girls were nearly inseparable when they were together, Clarke felt closest to Octavia. They had met in their grade 2/3 split class when some kids had been making fun of Octavia. Things had never been easy at home for the Blake’s. Their mom did whatever she had to to keep them fed and a roof over their head, no matter how immoral it was. Within the first week of school, some kids had caught wind of Octavia's 'storage closet' bedroom and had been teasing her. Raven and Clarke didn't stand for bullying and quickly pulled Octavia under their wing. Raven put her genius mind to work and had made a little robot who went and tied each of the boy’s shoes together during class the next day. When they got up, they each fell to the floor. Once they finally stood back up, you could practically see the steam coming from their ears. After they looked up and saw Raven glaring at them, their faces turned red they never picked on Octavia, or anyone again.

While Octavia had been shy and closed off when they met her, she quickly became the life of their little group. Octavia always had so much energy and wasn't afraid of anything. She was always exuding massive amounts of confidence and urging both Clarke and Raven to do things out of their comfort zone. Octavia was constantly coming up with plans that would no doubt get them into trouble. Skinny dipping in the neighbour’s pool, climbing on the roof of the school to watch the sunset or a meteor shower, getting them fake id’s when they were 16, so they could sneak into a local pub, only to find one of their teachers there on a date;were only a few of the crazy, impulsive ideas Octavia had come up with.

Octavia may be loud and determined, but she is also one of the most caring and sensitive people Clarke has ever met. She always listens, and she listens with everything she has. Whether you want to hear it or not, she always gives her honest opinion on every situation, and then swoops right into her comforting friend mode and will take your side in a heartbeat. Octavia's also they world’s best cuddler. After Clarke’s breakups, fights with her parents, or whatever else it was that left her battered, Octavia was always there for her, and her warmth kept her going and feeling like she could take on the world. After the incident in their class when Octavia opened up about her home life, she spent many nights and weekends at Clarke’s house. She was almost like a sister to Clarke, and her parents treated her as such. 

Clarke couldn't be happier for them all to be reunited again and attending the same school. Clarke was torn up about the fact that she wouldn't be able to live with Octavia and Raven this year; she just couldn't afford the rent. Even if they had opted to get a three bedroom and split expenses three ways, there was still no chance. But she figured it was a sacrifice she could make, knowing that she wasn't using her parent’s riches to get by. She was going to make it through this year all on her own. And she'd still see O and Raven for their movie nights, or on the weekends and between classes.

As she walked down the street to TonDC Coffee, a cafe nearby, she tried not to think too much about how things were for her at the moment. She didn't have a job, or her living quarters figured out yet. She hasbeen sleeping at Raven and Octavia's for the last week and knew that today was the day she needed to find a job so she could get her own living arrangements in order. Classes started in less than two weeks, and she wanted to be settled in by then. She had read on an online forum that some families near the university hired students to help clean, run errands or babysit in exchange for a room to stay in and warm meals for the semester. It would also earn her some extra money for her other expenses. She figured this would be the easiest way for her to makemoney, and have an honest and safe place to stay given her class load.

She remembered seeing a bulletin board at the cafe last week, so she decided to grab a coffee and check to see if there was anything posted onthere before venturing elsewhere in the city. She hadn't had much time to explore the city yet between helping O and Raven get moved in and settled, and enjoying the last little bit of freedom before classes. Soon enough all three girl’s schedules would be very busy, and she wondered how much time they'd have for each other. 

“Hi there, what can I get you today?” said a short, tanned woman with a tribal-like circle tattooed around her left eye. She was wearing a black t-shirt and black slacks with a white apron over top of it all that had _TonDC_ written in red across the top. Clarke looked at her name tag which read 'Emori.'

“Hi, can I get a large black coffee, to go please?” Clarke replied with a smile. The barista nodded, and Clarke handed her a $5 bill. “Keep the change.” 

Clarke strolled over to the bulletin board while she waited for her coffee. She looked at the flyers and found a couple of live-in nanny wanted posters and quickly added the numbers and names to her contacts list in her mobile. She decided she’d wait and call them once she returned to her friend’s apartment. It's not that the Café was loud, but she wanted to make sure she sounded professional and could focus on the conversation. 

“Here's your coffee miss, don't be a stranger," the barista said with a wink. Clarke only smiled back at her and reminded herself that while this shameless flirting would've been fun for her last year, she was turning over a new leaf. Last year, that wink alone would've been all the encouragement that Clarke needed to hang around, flirt back and sneak off to the bathroom with the barista. But this year she was going to focus on school, and work to show her parents she didn't need to depend on their financial security. She could reward herself a little after she made it through the year.

She left the coffee shop and took a big gulp of her coffee. So far it was the best she had tasted here in Arkadia. However, she had only had the chance to get coffee from TonDC Coffee and the coffee cart by the University. She walked along the street just a block away from her friend’s apartment and felt her phone buzz. She took it from the back pocket of her jeans and checked. It was Octavia and Ravens group chat.

**Raven: what are you grabbing for lunch? O and I were thinking Thai. :D**

**Octavia: yes Thai, don't forget those delicious chicken bites we got last time!**

**Clarke: ok bitches, have a drink ready for when I get back. I got some numbers today that I'm dreading but need to call when I get back there.**

**Octavia: wow! How do you always do that so quickly? Barely been here a week and you already have them lining up? ;)**

**Raven: ow owwww! ;) I knew you wouldn't be able to hold out that long, but a week griff? Really? I know you love sex, but I mean...**

**Clarke: numbers for a job you assholes. Thai for one it is. 8-)**

**Octavia: you know we love you <3 **

**Raven: see you soon, and don't forget the Thai! :)**

****

Clarke sat on the couch, with a full tummy and warm cheeks and decided that she had put her tasks off long enough. Her friends had both gone to work, and she had had another drink, watched some tv, and tidied up the apartment to the point that it wasn't even recognizable anymore. Was she nervous? Yes, that was an understatement. She had never worked a day in her life. She had never needed to, and why would she when she could party or hang out with her friends instead. She knew that these calls were going to change things for her, she just hoped she could handle it. She had always been good with kids; they loved her. So she figured babysitting would be her best chance at success. She thought back to the posters and tried to decide which to call first. They had both been pretty nondescript, with not a lot of information. Nia Queens add had stated that she had three kids ages 7, 9 and 11. And Lexa Woods had said that she'd need ‘infant care.’ In the end, Nia Queen won out. While caring for three kids would be a lot, they were older and more self-sufficient than an infant. She hit the call button on her phone and held it up to her ear. It started to ring.

 _“Hello, Queen residence.”_ A rough, cold sounding voice answered. 

“Hi, I'm just calling about your live-in nanny ad I saw at TonDC coffee. I'm just wondering if you're still looking for someone?” Clarke asked, as sweet as she could considering the snark in the voice on the other end of the phone.

 _“No, the position has been filled. For now.”_ The voice said, as she almost cackled. _“Nanny’s don't seem to last long here, would you like me to take your name down for when this one bites the dust?"_ The voice sounded almost sinister. 

“I'm actually looking for something a bit more permanent, so I think I'll keep looking. Thank you for your time,” Clarke said as she heard someone screeching _'mooooomm'_ in the background. Clarke barely heard the cold voice say _'Ontari, we've been over this, it's not mom it's queen...'_ before the line went dead. Clarke couldn't help but feel thankful the job had already been taken. She didn't think she could stand hearing that voice or having to deal with someone so self-entitled all day. 

_Maybe this wasn't such a great idea_ she thought to herself. She decided to turn on the latest episode of _'Supergirl'_ and got herself another drink. If the next call was going to be anything like this one, she was going to need another drink. How was she going to do this? If she couldn't bring herself to make a lousy phone call, how was she going to manage to live with people she didn't even know?

Clarke contemplated calling her dad. He had always been the more approachable parent. Jake always cared for her, and he always knew what to say. But Clarke knew that she couldn't call him. She knew that he was loyal to her mom and that he wouldn't be able to keep the conversation between them. If Abby found out she would treat it as Clarke’s weakness and try to weasel her way, and wealth, back in. So she couldn't, she had to do this. She needed to do this. So before she could lose the sudden burst of confidence she was feeling she picked up the phone, finished the last of her drink and clicked _'call'_ on Lexa Wood’s contact information. 

The phone rang, and rang, and just as she was about to hang up someone picked up on the 5th ring. _"Hello?”_ A somewhat flustered voice answered. It sounded soft but firm. Clarke found herself wanting to hear more of it, even after only hearing one word. 

“Hi, is this Lexa Woods? I saw your live-in nanny wanted add at the café near my friend’s apartment.” She took a deep breath and continued. “I was just wondering if you were still looking for someone?” she finished. The line was silent, Clarke wondered for a minute if she had lost the connection, but the soft piano music playing in the background proved otherwise.

 _“Yes it is, and yes, I am. When would you be available to come in for an interview?”_ Lexa’s voice was like a song. And Clarke had decided then and there, that she wanted to listen to it on repeat. 

“What are you doing right now?”Clarke asked, not realizing it was nearly 9 pm. She had kids, duh. She surely wouldn't be able to make arrangements that quickly. “Or whenever works best for you, I'm pretty flexible.” Clarke blushed, had she really just said that. She was flustered. She hoped the eagerness didn’t come through in her voice. Just as she thought she might have crossed a line she heard a deep exhale on the other end of the phone. 

_"How about tomorrow at 11 am. Do you have a mobile? I'll message you the address,”_ Lexa said rather flatly. 

Clarke gave Lexa her name and number, and the call ended. She was in a bit of a daze. How could a simple voice affect her like that? She was flustered and felt butterflies in her abdomen. She hoped to hell that Lexa’s looks didn't match her voice or it was going to be a very long afternoon for her tomorrow. _Tomorrow_ she thought. _Tomorrow I can hear her voice again._ Suddenly Raven barged into the apartment with a bottle of tequila and season 1 of Grey’s Anatomy, pulling Clarke back to reality. 

“Let's get drunk bitchessssss!”Apparently Raven had also seen that meme about the Grey’s Anatomy drinking game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first fanfic! Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it. let me know what you thought in the comments. :)
> 
> <3A


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls head out for one last night out before their fall schedules are in full swing.

Chapter 2

Clarke’s POV

Raven, Octavia, and Clarke had made it through two episodes of Greys and to say they were buzzed would be putting it lightly. They had finished off the bottle of vodka and the last few beer out of the fridge. Raven walked out of her room wearing a black cocktail dress and a pair of black stilettos. Clarke looked up at her with a slightly confused gaze. Raven brought up the idea of heading to a club she had heard about at work. “It's called Grounders, it's below ground level and pretty exclusive. Luckily for us, I know a guy who knows a guy, and I can get us in if you guys are up for it?”

Octavia was up and running to her room in a flash to get dressed. Clarke wasn't convinced. She had told her friends about her plan to focus on herself this year and going out to a club to party just before midnight on a Saturday night was not the best way to keep her on her path. “Come on Griff; it's only one night. Pretty soon we'll be in class, and we will have busy work schedules. We won't be able to do this anymore. Let's get out there and just let loose one last time. We'll make a game of it?” Raven wiggled her eyebrows. “Whoever gets the least amount of free drinks has to cook and clean up all day tomorrow. What do you say?”

“Raven, you know I have that interview tomorrow. I really need this job!” While Clarke loved a challenge, she needed this job more than a fun night out with her friends. “Sorry guys, I'm gonna have to pass this time.”

“What's this? Party girl Griffin backing down from a challenge? What’s the matter, afraid you can't compete with all of this?” Octavia mocked and not so gracefully motioned between herself and Raven. Damn if Clarke's friends didn't know how to get to her.

“Fine. We’ll go for a couple of drinks to check the place out, but then we're coming back and snuggling into bed. And I get to pick the movie!” She grabbed a dress and a pair of heels out of her duffel bag and reluctantly headed towards to the bathroom to change. Clarke knew that she should stay in, watch Netflix and prepare for her interview tomorrow but with the alcohol coursing through her veins, her rationale had lost the fight.

 

Lexa’s POV

Lexa walked up to her group with two beer in her hands. “I can't believe you convinced Titus to stay in with the kids.” Lexa glanced towards Indra as she handed Anya the beer from her left hand. Indra was an average height woman, with short black hair and a dark chocolate skin tone. She was wearing her usual attire, a dark t-shirt, black boot cut jeans, and her worn hiking boots. Indra was one of Lexa’s closest friends. She and her husband Titus were only in town for a few days to visit before they had to return to their home. Indra shrugged nonchalantly and took in her surroundings. She had always been a woman of few words, which Lexa didn't mind at all. She actually preferred it. “I mean don't get me wrong, I'm all for a night out. It has been far too long, but Titus doesn't seem like much of a kid guy.” Lexa finished following Indra's line of sight to an empty corner of the club.

Indra held up her water as if she were about to toast something “well he better learn pretty damn quickly” she simply stated, and took a long drink.

The girls sat in silence for a moment. “No way Indra, congratulations! That's so exciting.” Anya said, wrapping her in a huge hug. Indra looked uncomfortable, she wasn't one for loving gestures, but she didn't fight it.

“That’s great Indra.” Lexa smiled and finished off her beer. “I want to dance. Let's go and celebrate!” Lexa said a little bit more enthusiastically than if she had been completely sober. Lexa and Anya pulled a hesitant Indra to the dance floor. Yes, they had drunk a lot, but Lexa didn't get out very much anymore. She was with her two best friends for the first time in months, and she didn't know when she would be able to get out again, so she was going to make the most of it. In addition to her lack of a social life, she was going to be back at the academy soon where every move would have to be precise and calculated. It would be good to let lose a bit beforehand and just have fun. _Go big or go home_ Lexa thought to herself as a wave of sadness hit her. She remembered her father teaching her this, his favourite ‘motto’ to live by, when she was very young.

Lexa wasn't going to let this affect her night; so she tossed the sadness to the back of her mind and continued on her way to the center of the dance floor. Indra, Anya, and Lexa started to dance around having a great time. Dancing was one of the only times that Lexa wasn't afraid to let her walls down. Dancing was her outlet, her way to let her emotions out without letting anyone in. Lexa felt at ease moving with the beat. She was confident in herself when she danced, she knew she looked damn good doing it. They danced until Indra excused herself to use the ladies room. She insisted Anya and Lexa stay and have fun and that she would return shortly. 

An upbeat song came on, and a devilish grin crossed Anya's face. “You up for a challenge tonight commander?” Anya asked.

Lexa studied Anya's slender face for an idea of what she might have in mind. She knew that Anya only used her old nickname when she was going for dramatic effect. Lexa decided to give in, cocked her head slightly to the left and raised a brow. “I feel like I'm going to regret this, but I feel good, so why the hell not! What did you have in mind?” Lexa replied.

“How about the first one of us to get someone here to buy us a drink, using ONLY our bodies. I mean our dancing,” Anya wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, “pays the tab for the night? What do you say, Commander?” Anya drug out the ‘a’ in commander. She looked at Lexa in a way that suggested Anya believed she had already won. Lexa smirked, she may have had Aden and taken the year off work to spend time with her children, but little did Anya know Lexa was nowhere near as rusty as Anya thought she was.

“It's on” Lexa cocked a brow and looked around to see what she had to work with. She saw mostly college kids, paired off into couples. None the less, she and Anya started dancing. Lexa figured she'd go with some ‘real’ dance moves that would surely impress and win her a free drink. She browsed the room again, stopping at Anya who was dancing as seductively as she could. Swinging her hips and grinding her ass into anyone, and anything close. _So she wanted to play dirty? So be it. Two can play that game,_ Lexa thought to herself. Normally she wouldn't stoop to Anya's level, but tonight Lexa wanted to win. _The Commander never backs down from a fight and shows no mercy,_ she thought, quickly slipping back into the 'commander's' old ways as if the last five or so years had never happened.

Lexa turned around and grabbed the nearest person to her. It was a blonde woman with bright blue, slightly glazed over eyes. The blonde was gorgeous. The way the fabric of her dress clung to the curve of her hips, and the dip of the ‘v’ style cut of the dress showing off a tasteful amount of cleavage, was almost too much for Lexa to handle.

“Dance with me?” Lexa asked the blonde, dropping her voice an octave, hoping that her voice sounded more confident than she felt. The blonde just stared, and then barely nodded in reply. Lexa turned around and started swaying her hips to the beat, and running her hands through her hair and down her body; this was going to be easy. Even if this girl was straight, Lexa was sure she could get a drink out of it. Lexa knew she was beautiful; she had been told as much by many throughout her life. If nothing else, the amount of girls ‘player Lexa’ was with in high school was confirmation of that. Even after giving birth to two bundles of joy, Lexa's body looked the same, if not better, than it had before she had them. And the dress Lexa had picked for tonight paired with her top-notch dance moves? It would make anyone question their sexuality, she was sure of it. Lexa glanced over at Anya who was getting pretty cozy with a brunette in a tight black dress. So Lexa inched back just enough to be in contact with the body behind her. As soon as she did Lexa felt the blonde's hot breath on her neck, and hands on her hips. Lexa felt a jolt run right through her core. It felt like fire in every place the blonde and herself were in contact. _Damnit Lexa, keep it together. This is about a bet. Head over heart, or body in this instance._ She mentally chastised herself.

 

Clarkes POV

Clarke’s eyes roamed hungrily over the brown-haired beauty that had just grabbed her and asked her to dance. She had been watching her, but seriously who wouldn't be? The form-fitting green dress the brunette was wearing, and the way she moved so flawlessly; Clarke found it hard to keep her eyes off of her. She had to keep repeating her pact to herself in her mind, over and over like a mantra. 

When the brunette had asked her to dance Clarke had felt a flicker of something in the deepest recesses of her mind, but it was fleeting and gone faster than it came, and so she dismissed it as impossible; she chalked it up to the alcohol flowing through her system playing tricks on her. Just as Clarke had started to regain her composure the brunette had inched closer to her, and they were now touching. Clarke instinctively placed her hands on the brunette's narrow hips. When she did, the rest of the room seemed to disappear and the flicker reappeared so briefly Clarke once again shrugged it off and focused on the woman in front of her. Clarke was in tune with the brunette and her every move. Raven's words echoed in her head _'let's get out there and just let loose one last time.'_ With that Clarke decided to let go and have fun, she'd deal with the consequences later. 

 

Lexas POV

The songs beat dropped, and Lexa felt soft hands turn her around. She was now facing the blue-eyed stranger; her heart rate picked up as she was suddenly reminded of how beautiful the blonde was. Lexa let her eyes graze over the length of the blonde's body, stopping on the pale patch of flesh on her chest. Lexa forced herself to look back up at the blonde's eyes. Lexa thought for a moment that she saw the blonde's eyes darken, but couldn't be sure as it was hard to tell with the dim lighting. Lexa and the blonde were still dancing, grinding on each other, hands innocently exploring the other's torso, until Lexa felt the blonde shift slightly and all of a sudden there was a thigh between her legs, pushing into her center with every movement. Lexa's breath hitched, and she nearly let out a soft moan but bit her cheek to hold it back. Lexa felt her cheeks get warm; she was suddenly very thankful for the dark atmosphere of the club. It had been awhile since Lexa had been with anyone, a year and three months to be exact; _that's why I must be reacting to the blonde's touch like this,_ she justified in her head. Lexa searched the blonde's features for a knowing hint, something that would tell her that the blonde knew what she was doing to her. Other than her bottom lip pulled between her teeth, which was more than likely out of concentration Lexa decided, the blondes face remained the same, so Lexa continued dancing.

The pressure between Lexa's legs was building, and she didn't know how much more she of this she could handle. Her heart was racing, and there was puddle forming between her legs. _Damnit, Anya,_ Lexa thought. Anya knew Lexa couldn't turn down a challenge, but she had responsibilities now. Lexa knew she couldn't go around acting like she didn't and practically having over-the-top of clothes sex with some stranger in the middle of the club. Lexa took a small step backward and just as she was about to excuse herself to the ladies room Anya walked up to her, hands linked with the brunette that she had been dancing with earlier. Anya was sporting a shit eating grin and held up the drink in her hand. “Better luck next time commander,” Anya chuckled. Lexa huffed, took one lasit glance at the blonde, then at Anya and nodded slightly, excusing herself.

Once Lexa entered the ladies room she went straight to the sink. She splashed some water on her face and stared at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were finally almost back to their normal size. _What the hell is wrong with you?_ She thought to herself. _It was a dance, ONE dance and you couldn't even keep your cool? My lanta woman, pull yourself together._ Lexa got some soap from the dispenser and started to wash her hands, her thoughts flashing back momentarily to the blonde and the dance they shared. She didn't know what freaked her out the most, the fact that a simple dance with a stranger could get her that worked up, or her reaction to the blonde's touch. Lexa had felt something deep down the minute she had locked eyes with the blonde. _It was to win the bet,_ Lexa thought to herself. _I just got caught up in it all with the amount of alcohol that I consumed._ The fact that Lexa hadn't danced with anyone in months must have added to it as well. There's no way Lexa Woods was feeling an attraction this strong to someone she had just met, that was not how she worked. She didn't do feelings. Lexa dried her face and left the ladies room. She made her way back towards Anya, a stoic look plastered on her face.

Once Lexa reached Anya and Indra she told them it was time to leave. Indra was ready to go, but Anya decided to stay behind. Anya apparently wasn't finished with her little game or the brunette from their little ‘dance off’ earlier. Lexa held Anya's gaze for a moment. She knew Anya could handle herself and just wanted to have some fun. Lexa glanced around the bar, hoping to catch one last glimpse of the blonde before she left, but had no such luck. Lexa followed Indra outside and into and the taxi. She gave driver her address and stared out her window. The rest of the ride home and for the remainder of the night, the blonde was never far from her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thanks to my beta reader who reads through and makes my scrambled thoughts flow more smoothly, and who is also super patient while I work out the kinks since this is my first fanfic. 
> 
> Let me know what you think, or might hope to see in the comments. Kudos are also appreciated! 
> 
> <3A


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of our favourite ladies nights out.

Lexa’s POV

Lexa glanced at the clock over on her bedside table. 6:13 am. She reached and turned the volume down on the baby monitor, quieting the soft muffled crying on the other end. Her head was throbbing, a not so distant reminder of her time out last evening. These early mornings wouldn't be so tough if Aden were in the habit of sleeping through the night. Last night alone he had woken up three times. Thankfully Indra and Titus had stayed in the guest room and had helped out with him so Lexa could sleep off her ‘night of fun.’

Lexa rolled over and got out of bed. _I hope the interview goes well today,_ she thought to herself. It had been nice to have their summer schedule so open, but it was going to be hard getting back into a full schedule after having the last year off to take care of Aden. She had been hoping that when she posted the ad for a live-in nanny that it would be an easier transition for herself, and the children, for them to not have to go somewhere else. Although, most daycares wouldn't even be an option considering her classes were in the evening anyways. 

Lexa quickly brushed her teeth and made her way to Aden’s nursery. When she entered the nursery, Aden was standing up, holding onto the side of his crib cooing. A big smile came across his face when he looked up, and his eyes landed on Lexa. “Come here mommy’s boy, are you hungry? Let's be quiet this morning so your sister can have a little sleep-in. You know how grumpy she gets first thing in the morning.” Aden moved his index finger in front of his lips, and with his most serious look puffed up his cheeks and made his own version of a shushing sound. Lexa chuckled. “Yes, that's right hunny. Shhh.” She kissed Aden’s forehead.

Lexa made her way into the kitchen, put Aden in his high chair and started to make some oatmeal for her son. Lexa grabbed her planner to see what they had to do today. She poured herself some tea from the teapot on the stove and threw it in the microwave. She liked to make her tea the night before and reheat it first thing in the morning, so it was full of flavour. Lexa added a splash of milk and sighed contentedly after her first sip. Her eyes scanned over the day's page in her planner and stopped when she saw where she had written down _Clarke Griffin_ for an interview at 11:00 am. Lexa thought about what see needed to get together for the interview and figured she should brainstorm and write down a few basic questions so she wouldn't forget anything important during the interview. Lexa realized how under prepared she was. She felt slightly overwhelmed, and that was exactly why she didn't usually go out. Lexa wondered if Anya would be able to come over and keep the kids occupied while she conducted the interview. She wasn't sure how Anya's night had gone after she left Grounders. Lexa really wanted this interview to go well, but she couldn't help the initial thoughts that she had after the phone call; the tone in Clarke’s voice gave Lexa the impression that she wasn’t taking it very seriously. It was the only call she had received in a while, and with her return to work date slowly creeping up on her she had to get something in place. _You need to lower your expectations and your standards, she thought. Yes, make sure your kids will be safe and taken care of but don't focus on the little things. You need to get something in place. The sooner, the better._

Lexa decided to give Anya a call. It would be easier to focus and assess Clarke without the children interrupting. Plus, she missed her best friend, and they didn't get a lot of time to catch up last night so they could catch up afterward. Anya had been out traveling for work for the majority of the summer and Lexa had barely seen her. Lexa picked up her mobile and hit call on Anya's contact. It went straight to voicemail. Lexa figured she must still be asleep and sent off a quick text message explaining her situation and asking her to come over around 10:30 am if she got the message in time. Lexa grabbed Aden’s oatmeal and made her way over to him to help him eat his breakfast.

 

 

Clarke’s POV

Clarke felt the bed dip beside her, and it startled her out of her almost comatose like state. She felt an arm wrap around her middle, so she rolled over and looked beside her and saw Raven still in her dress from the night before. “Are you just getting home now? What time is it?” She asked Raven.

Raven grunted inaudibly. Clarke laughed and reached for her phone that was on the ground beside the bed; 7:42 am. _Way too early for a Sunday morning,_ Clarke thought and winced at the light coming in through the cracks in the blinds. She tried to remember what she had to drink last night; she didn't usually get hung over. Clarke realized not only could she not remember what she drank at the bar; she didn't remember anything after their first round of shots at grounders, which was understandable after the few rounds they had played of the Grey's Anatomy drinking challenge before they had made the decision to go out. She decided she would get the gory details from Raven or Octavia later. Her interview wasn't for a few hours, yet so Clarke curled into her best friend and let sleep take her again. 

 

Lexa’s POV.

*Knock, knock, knock*

Lexa shot up and bolted to the door. It wasn't 11 am yet, last time she checked, it was 10:42 am and that was only about five minutes ago. _Could Clarke be taking this seriously and show up early?_ She wondered. Lexa hadn't even had a chance to get her paperwork together and change out of the clothes Aden had just spat up on while she was putting him down for his first nap of the day. Lexa opened the door and sighed contentedly, a smile taking over her features. She was glad to see it was Anya; even though Anya looked like she had just rolled out of bed and came straight over. 

“Hey, I’m sorry. I just got your message. I got on pretty well with that brunette from the club last night, and we had a LONG night. I forgot to plug my phone in. Did you,”

Before Anya could even finish her sentence, Lexa pulled her inside and shut the door. 

“I just put Aden down for a nap but do you think you could take Tris for a walk or to the park?” Anya picked up on Lexa’s flustered demeanor. “I have a potential nanny coming over, and I want to make sure she's the right fit without any distractions,” Lexa huffed out, clearly not in the greatest of moods.

“Sure Lex, where's that cute little niece of mine? Trisssssssy! Aunties here and I want my hugggggg,” Anya called, keeping her voice relatively quiet remembering that Aden was asleep.

Tris came barreling around the corner and jumped into Anya's arms. She had missed her aunt a lot over the summer. Anya was her favourite aunt, after all she was the one that had always been there to help Lexa out after the circumstances surrounding Tris’s conception, and because of that Anya and her niece had an incredibly special bond. Anya also always brought her special presents and took her out for treats. Lexa was a bit of a health nut and didn't let her children eat a lot of sweets, so Tris loved her special little dates with her aunt. 

“She's going to be here any minute; you should hurry up, I still need to change and get my papers together.” Lexa kissed Tris on the top of the head. “Love you Prisa, have fun with Auntie Anya and make sure you listen to her. Don't give her a hard time,” Lexa smiled and practically pushed them out the door. 

Lexa grabbed her paperwork folder from her desk, and barely had enough time to change before she heard a knock at the door. She looked herself over in the floor length mirror and smoothed down a few wild curls. Lexa had decided that a simple navy pencil skirt and a white blouse would be professional enough for the interview, it was business casual she figured. 

Lexa started towards the front door. She couldn't help the feeling low in her abdomen; she was nervous. She wanted to find the perfect nanny for her children, but she also knew that time was running out, so she didn't necessarily have the luxury of being choosy. Lexa stopped just short of the door, took a deep breath, and composed herself. She stepped forward and reached for the door handle. When she opened the door, she was taken by surprise. Clarke Griffin was not what she was expecting. She had her blonde hair up in a messy bun, with a few single strands that had fallen loose. It looked simple but intentional. Clarke was wearing a cardigan with a cerulean v neck shirt that brought out the blue of her eyes. She completed the look with a pair of tight skinny jeans and boots. Her outfit fit her every curve perfectly. Lexa stared at the stranger, and then reality suddenly hit her. Clarke Griffin, the woman she was about to interview for her live-in nanny position, was the blonde she had danced with at grounders last night. _Oh shit,_ Lexa mentally face palmed herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought in the comments! Kudos make me happy <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke goes for her interview at the woods residence :)

Lexa's POV

Lexa mentally shook herself back to reality, hoping she had managed to cover the surprised look on her face before the blonde had noticed. Out of everyone in Arkadia, why did it have to be Clarke Griffin that she had danced with last night? It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't been so turned on during the events of the evening. Lexa looked into Clarke's blue eyes. She had always prided herself on her ability to read people quickly and Lexa couldn't see any sign of recognition in Clarke's eyes. Does she not remember me? She thought, momentarily letting her emotions surface and feeling a smidgen of disappointment. _You're being ridiculous, this is a job interview, and you need her. Get it together Lexa._ She tried to reason with the battle going on in her head and pushed her emotions back down where they belonged. Lexa quickly decided she would go with her gut and act as though nothing happened. If the blonde did recognize her but had chosen to move past it, then she could too. "Hello, you must be Miss Griffin. Did you have any trouble finding the place?" She offered her hand to Clarke in greeting.

"Uh hi, yeah it's just Clarke," Clarke responded and smiled. She reached out and took Lexa's hand in her own. The moment they made contact Lexa felt the same jolt run through her entire body ending in her toes, just as she had last night. _There it is again,_ Lexa thought. She hadn't ever felt such a strong, yet soft hand in her life. "And no, I didn't have any trouble finding it at all. Thanks for asking." Clarke finished, as she released her grip on Lexa's hand with a shy smile.

Lexa nodded and stepped aside, making room for Clarke to enter her home. "Please come inside; I've got a few things I'd like to ask and go over with you to see if you'd be a good fit for the position."

Clarke walked inside, and Lexa shut the door. Lexa motioned over to the living room. "Please take a seat, would you like something to drink?"

"No, thank you," Clarke responded. As Lexa sat down, she heard a phone ring. She didn't recognize the ringtone as her own so she figured it must be Clarke's. "I'm so sorry," Clarke quickly said digging in her purse for her mobile, "let me turn this thing off. I thought I did already." Clarke fumbled with her phone until Lexa heard it power off. Clarke threw it down back into her purse and looked up at Lexa, her cheeks dusted with a light shade of pink. "Again, so sorry about that."

Lexa stared and gave her a quick nod, trying to remain composed, hoping that it wasn't showing on her face how cute she thought Clarke looked when she blushed. "Alright, let's get this started. I don't know how much time we have before we'll be interrupted." She glanced up again, relieved to see Clarke's cheeks were back to normal, with a very focused look on her face. "So, do you have any experience with kids or babies?"

Clarke quickly glanced at her hands in her lap, picking at her thumbnail. "Hands-on experience?" Clarke asked as she looked up, blue meeting green. Lexa nodded. "No, not really hands on per se. I mean kids have always loved and been drawn to me everywhere I've gone, though. That's why I figured I would try to make something out of it." She paused. "Look, I'm going to be completely honest with you. I've never really had a job before. And I've always just kind of floated by and cared more about my social life than anything else. But this year I want things to be different. If you hire me, where I lack in experience, I can promise you I'll make up for in dedication. I want this. No, I need this. I've made it my mission to focus on school and work this year. So if you decide to take a chance on me, you won't be disappointed. If you trust me, your people will become my people, and I will treat their needs as my own." Clarke blurted out. She couldn't believe she had just said that. She felt her face reddening, but she kept her face neutral, or what she at least hoped was neutral. Clarke balled her fists in her lap and hoped that Lexa didn't see her hands shaking slightly.

"Alright Clarke, you've got the job. My kids mean everything to me, and while trust is something that needs to be earned, not given, I'm deciding to take a leap of faith. I have two children. My son Aden just turned 1, and my daughter Tris will be 5 in a couple of months.” Lexa paused, noting the look of surprise on Clarke's face. “Is there a problem Clarke?” Lexa asked.

“No sorry, it's just that you don't look old enough to have an almost five-year-old,” Clarke said tentatively.

Clarke must have noticed the tension on Lexa's face, and Lexa could see the regret in Clarke's eyes, but before Clarke could say anything further, Lexa continued. “As long as you can cook, have a valid driver's license and can clean up after the kids and help with their daily routines the job is yours. I will require that you to sign a confidentiality agreement and a contract that will end December 31st. We will re-evaluate the options for a contract agreement before Christmas break. This will give us the chance to see where we both stand and if you have been successful working with the children. Does this work for you?" Lexa asked. She wondered why she was doing this. This girl was clearly not at all experienced, but for some reason, Lexa felt drawn to her. She knew the second she opened the door that she could trust Clarke, not that she'd tell her that, and Lexa also knew that she was going to hire her shortly after. She didn't know why, but she felt it deep in her bones. She trusted Clarke Griffin, which was something entirely new for Lexa.

"Yes," Clarke replied.

Lexa heard Aden stirring on the monitor and glanced down. She figured that there was still a chance that Clarke wouldn't accept the position after she read the contract and confidentiality agreement so there was no use introducing her to Aden just incase things didn't pan out. She didn't like people coming in and out of her children's lives, so she prevented it where she could. Lexa stood up and went in the direction of the front door.

"All right, Clarke, take these home and read them over. Sign where needed and if you still want the job you can move your stuff in on Tuesday, after lunch. You can take the day to get situated and then Wednesday will be your first day. Any questions you can text or call my mobile. Please contact me when you've made your decision and have a good rest of your weekend." Lexa opened the door and let her eyes drop one last time while Clarke put her shoes on.

Clarke grabbed her purse and made her way to the door. She took the folder from Lexa. "Thank you for the opportunity Mrs. Woods.” Clarke offered her hand to Lexa once again, feeling the need to seal the deal. Lexa reached out, and Clarke took her hand and shook it firmly.

As Clarke turned around to leave and took a few steps forward, she heard Lexa say, "It's Ms., but Lexa will do." Clarke turned slightly, just in time to see the corners of Lexa’s lips curl up ever so slightly as Lexa shut the door.

  
Clarke’s POV

Clarke turned around and walked down the front steps of the Woods residence. The interview had gone much better than she had anticipated and she found herself excited to start the job. Lexa Woods was one of the most beautiful women Clarke had ever seen; which is why Clarke had been sure she wasn't going to get the job. She felt like she could barely function around Lexa, she made her so nervous, which made Clarke feel like a teenager again. As she hopped into her car and started the trek back to her best friend's apartment, she wondered how she could feel so comfortable, yet so nervous at the same time. She felt like she had a connection with Lexa, a sort of familiarity like she already knew her. Clarke couldn't quite place it but figured it must be her voice etched into her mind from their brief, but memorable, phone call yesterday.

The Woods residence was only a seven-minute drive from Raven and Octavia's apartment, which would be extremely convenient for Clarke's days off to come hang out. She pulled up to the apartment and bolted for the stairs; she couldn't wait to tell her friends the news. Clarke barged through the door; she groaned not realizing how winded she was from the stairs. _I need to exercise more often,_ she thought to herself. She staggered over to the couch catching her breath and yelled "I got the job bitches!" which came out a lot less dramatic than she had hoped due to her lack of breath. Clarke mustered the last of her energy and jumped on the couch, landing successfully between her two best friends.

Clarke told her friends the details, and they congratulated her. When they had finished talking about the interview Clarke tried to focus on the movie that was playing on Netflix, but she was restless. She got up and went to the kitchen table, deciding that now would be a good time to go over the papers Lexa had given her. Lexa had seemed cold and closed off, which made Clarke want to get to know her all the more, but she would find a way to keep that need at bay. This job was exactly what she needed; a place to live and an income all in one. Clarke glanced down at the folder on the table and opened it to the first page, starting to make her way through the stack of papers Lexa had given her. After a few moments, she closed the folder again. She couldn't focus, she was too excited about things finally starting to come together for her, not to mention she couldn't shake a certain brunette from her thoughts.

Clarke thought back to the moment the door of the Woods residence opened. The first moment Clarke had laid eyes on Lexa; when she locked eyes with the deep green eyes on the other side of the threshold. Lexa's curly golden brown hair lay just below her chest. It was all loose except for a few intricate braids that she had weaved through her hair. She was slightly taller than Clarke was, and with her tanned skin tone, her green eyes popped.

"Hey, McDreamy, what has you smiling and zoned out over there?" Octavia asked, pulling Clarke out of her daydream. Clarke told them about Lexa and how beautiful she was. She also told them about the instant connection she felt with Lexa the moment they shook hands.  
"Guess it's going to be harder than you thought to keep your no sex pact hey?" Raven wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at Clarke. "I give you three months, and you'll be sleeping with her."

"Raven! She's my boss now. Besides that, she has two kids. I guess they have a dad somewhere so even if I was interested, which I'm not, I doubt she's into ‘the ladies’ as you say. Just no Raven, no, no, no," Clarke said, shaking her head for emphasis. "It's not going to happen, ok?" Clarke finished, hoping to end the conversation. Clarke didn't notice Raven lean over to Octavia while she was going off on her tangent. Nor did she hear her two friends making a bet on how long it would take the blonde to give in to her desires.

Clarke looked over at Raven who was about to retort and quickly changed the subject. "So who wants to fill me in on what happened last night? I remember getting to Grounders and taking a round of shots with you guys, and the rest is fuzzy."

Raven then launched right into a play by play, with Octavia chiming in every so often when Raven missed something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to my beta who makes things flow more smoothly. Let me know what you think, feedback makes me happy!
> 
> <3A


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leading up to moving day :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a rough floor plan for lexas house if anyone is interested :)
> 
> https://xoheda-clexaxo.tumblr.com/post/159241239781/house-floor-plan-for-my-first-fanfic-live

Lexa poured herself a glass of wine and sat down on one of the barstools at the island. After Clarke had left, Lexa fed Aden and put him down for another nap. This was the first time in quite some time that Lexa had truly had some time to herself. She found herself thinking about Costia, something she rarely let herself do. It hurt too much to think about her, and after last night at Grounders, she was feeling quite guilty. Guilty that she could feel something for someone else, even if it was mere attraction, so soon after losing the love of her life.

Lexa found her mind drifting from Costia to thoughts about Clarke and their time together last night. The blonde had looked so beautiful last night, but in more casual clothes, sitting on her couch with her hair up in a messy bun Lexa found her even more attractive. Her stomach dropped. _How can you be thinking about someone else so soon? After everything that happened?_

Lexa moved to get up and find something to do, anything really to keep her mind off Costia and the blonde, she couldn't take much more of this without entering a point of no return. As she went to make her way to the bookshelf she heard the front door opening. Tris walked in eating a cookie, followed closely by Anya. Of course, Anya would get her a cookie, always having to be the fun one. 

“Hi Hunny, did you have a good time with your auntie?” Lexa asked her daughter. Tris shoved the rest of her cookie in her mouth, almost as if she had read Lexa’s mind, and nodded. “That's great, can you go play upstairs so mommy can have a talk with Auntie Anya? Please make sure you're quiet because your brother is still napping.” Lexa finished.

“Okay mommy,” Tris turned to Anya and wrapped her little arms around her legs. “Thank you for taking me out to the park and for ice cream. Oh and for the cookie too.” Tris smiled sweetly up at Anya, who was actively avoiding Lexa's glare.

“Anytime love. You go up and play, and Auntie will make sure to come upstairs and say goodbye before I head out.” Anya watched her niece head up the stairs while she waited for the lecture that was sure to follow. Anya waited, but it didn't come. She followed Lexa who was making her way to the kitchen. _Well, this is weird_ Anya thought. Anya, being her usual shit disturbing self couldn't leave it alone. “How you can go from sweet and loving with your kids, to cold and glares to anyone else is quite jarring. You really need to work on your people skills.”

Lexa's step faltered momentarily. She shouldn't be surprised; Anya was never one for subtleties. She made her way over to the fridge to start prepping for dinner. “Thank you for taking Tris out today; the interview went well. She starts on Wednesday.” Lexa said with a faint smile, hoping Anya picked up on her subtle hint to change the subject. Just as she thinks she may have succeeded Anya pipes up.

“What's wrong Lex?” Anya looks over at her expectantly. Lexa turns back to the onions she was chopping. “Your kid comes in eating a cookie, and mentions she also had ice cream and you say nothing? You're a nut when it comes to their eating habits. So what's up, do you want to talk about it?” Anya waits for an answer. “Ok, so tell me about this new nanny. What is she like?” Anya asks once she realizes that Lexa isn't going to give her any answers.

Lexa takes a moment to decide how much she wants to give over to Anya. With her thoughts of Costia and Clarke from earlier still fresh in her mind, she decides that for now, less is more. “Her names Clarke Griffin, she's-"

“Wait, wait, hold up. Clarke? Clarke from the club last night that you got down and dirty with? That Clarke?” Anya asked, her jaw slightly dropping.

“How did you know it was her?” Lexa asked her, surprised. 

“Calculated guess? I mean Clarke's not a very common name Lex. The brunette from last night, Raven, she was there with her. They're friends. We all took a cab and dropped them off first before heading back to my place.” Anya waggled her brows. “So how is this going to work then? I could see how much you enjoyed dancing with her last night. Are you going to be able to keep it professional?” 

“I am more than capable of separating feelings from duty Anya. I would've enjoyed dancing with anyone last night; its been awhile since I've danced with anyone other than Aden or Tris and it was nice. That's all.” Lexa said, her voice very stern. 

“Ok, whatever you say, Commander,” Anya added with a teasing tone.

Lexa rolled her eyes, “It's too soon Anya, end of story,” Lexa said, her tone final, trying to hide the emotions surrounding her words. From the sudden sadness showing on Anya's face, she could tell that she wasn't very successful. She was going to have to get these emotions at bay, and she had two days before Clarke moved in to do it. _If she decides to take the job,_ Lexa reminds herself. 

 

Clarke had decided to have an early night last night, so after the enthusiastic recap of the night before from Raven and Octavia they had decided to have a Harry Potter marathon and snack day. Clarke was still frustrated with the fact that she couldn't remember much of what had happened that night, but at least she knew the reason why. Whiskey. Whiskey and Clarke did not agree. Her friends knew that whiskey made her go a little crazy, and that's apparently why Raven had given it to her. 

_'It was our last night out, and I was afraid you weren't going to have any fun. Can you really blame me? I mean I know you can't hate me, just look at me,'_ Clarke remembered Ravens exact speech. Raven was right; she couldn't hate her. From what they told her she had fun and kept her pact so, in all honesty, she wasn't even that upset. The memories would more than likely start to trickle in during the next few days like they usually do.

Clarke had a lot to do today, and she wasn't going to let the usual ‘blah’ of Mondays keep her from getting it all done. She needed to go to the University and pick up some paperwork, and get the books and supplies she'd need for her courses. Clarke was going to have to start over fresh with all her art supplies, one of the downsides of taking off and moving across the country at a moments notice with only one bag. She was excited to be starting this new chapter, but nervous as she had limited money; a direct result of her cutting herself off from her parents.

Before Clarke had gone to bed last night, she had read through all the paperwork Lexa had given her. Her new boss was very thorough. Their daily activities were planned down to the last minute, along with meal plans. It appeared as though Lexa worked from 4 pm until 8-10pm depending on the night, which would be ideal for Clarke's school and study schedule. She didn't know her exact schedule yet but figured her classes would mostly be in the morning/afternoon.

Clarke decided she would start by repacking her duffel bag, and then she would head to the school. While she was packing, she realized her and Lexa hadn't gotten around to talking about the live-in part of the agreement. Was she going to need a bed? Furniture? She figured that she would more than likely be getting a spare room, and assumed it would be pre-furnished, but it hadn't crossed her mind to ask at the interview. Clarke also hadn't informed Lexa she was going to take the job, so she decided that this was as good a time as any. She could ask Lexa about the living arrangements as well. 

**Clarke [8:41 am]: Hey Lexa, it's Clarke. I just wanted to let you know that I read over all the paperwork and I'd still very much like the job. :)**

While waiting for a reply Clarke finished packing her bag, leaving out some pajamas for tonight and a pair of clothes for tomorrow. She grabbed her purse and decided to go to the school to run her other errands. Raven and Octavia's apartment was close enough that she could walk, choosing to save the money that she'd spend on a taxi and use it towards new art supplies. When Clarke had almost reached the university she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. 

**Lexa [9:23 am]: Thank you for letting me know. See you tomorrow after lunch.**

**Clarke [9:24am] : see you then :)**

**Clarke [9:24 am]: quick question, what all do I need to bring tmw? Bed, furniture..?**

**Lexa [9:27 am]: there is already everything you will need here. But if you'd prefer your own I can have your items picked up and switched out.**

**Clarke [9:27 am]: no that's alright, I'll use what's there. Thanks, see you tmw :)**

_Phew, that'll save some money and time_ Clarke thought, feeling grateful that she could spend the money on other items for her classes.

 

After Clarke had finished getting her papers, class schedules and books from the University, she made her way to the art supply store. After she found and purchased everything she needed, she soon realized there was no way she would be able to walk back to her friend's apartment. Even after buying the bare minimum, she had underestimated how much she would need. It had been a long time since she had to be cautious about money, and even longer since she had to start her whole art supply stash from scratch. Clarke looked at the time on her phone. 2:30 pm, Raven, and Octavia would both still be at work so she'd have to call a taxi. _Jeez, I should've just waited until I was settled in the new place to go, now I'm going to have to move it twice._ Getting into the cab some memories from the night at Grounders came back to her. She remembered the cab ride home and Raven being not so subtle with the blonde with whom she had been dancing. She'd have to remember to tease her a little when she got home from work. 

 

Lexa was up in her studio. She was supposed to be getting a routine together for her classes which started next week since Anya had come over and asked to take the kids for a walk, but once she stepped foot into her studio, she found herself putting on one of her old playlists. She needed to lose herself for a while and blow off some steam. It had been a weird couple of days, and Clarke was moving in today, so she wanted to make sure that she got the last of it out and could keep everything at bay once Clarke arrived. So she let go and let her body move freely to the music.

 

Anya, Tris, and Aden walked in the front door after their walk. Aden had fallen asleep on the way home so Anya reminded Tris to be quiet so they could put him in his nursery. “Your mom must be upstairs in her studio working. Do you want to come help me put your brother to bed Trissy?” Anya asked her niece. 

“No you can do it, I'll watch and then maybe we can go play princess tea party in my room?” Tris asked, excitedly. 

“I don't know about playing princesses, how about we play warriors?” Tris nodded and led her aunt to Aden's nursery. 

Once Aden was in his crib and tucked in for his nap Anya told Tris they could grab a quick snack before their game but needed to let her mom know that they were home. When they opened the studio door, they saw Lexa dancing, so engrossed, she didn't even notice them standing there. “Uh oh; Biggie. You know what that means,” Anya grabbed her niece and put her on her back, Tris giggled. “Let's go get a quick snack. We can let your mom know we're home in a little while.” Anya started on their way downstairs to the kitchen, deciding not to interrupt Lexa. Anya knew when Biggie was on it meant that something was up with Lexa, and she needed to work it out on her own.

 

Clarke sat in the passenger seat anxiously, suddenly very nervous about her move. It hadn't taken her long to pack everything into Raven’s car, so they were a little bit early. Raven pulled into the driveway and let out a small gasp. “Holy Griff, I can totally see why you ditched us to live here. This place is huge!” Raven said, almost dumbstruck. 

“It's not that big. I mean it's big, yes, but not huge. And that's not why I ditched you, you know I'd love to stay with you guys if I could afford it.” Clarke defended.

“It might not be huge to you, given how much money your parents have. None the less, still impressive. And I know that babe, just trying to lighten the mood. Your nervousness is seeping out your pores, turn it down a notch Griff, you're going to do fine!” Raven said to her with a supportive smile. 

“I know, I know. Can you help grab one of the boxes and bring it up the stairs for me? I'll grab the other and my bag.” Clarke asked. Raven replied with one of her usual smart ass remarks and grabbed a box and headed up to the front door. Clarke knocked, and after a moment a familiar blonde opened the door.

“Anya?” Raven asked. “What are you doing here?” Clarke could see a slight pink tinge to Raven’s cheeks. Then it hit her. Anya was the blonde Raven had been dancing with at Grounders.

“Hey, I'm a friend of Lexa’s. Clarke right? Nice to see you again.” Anya offered her hand to Clarke. “Hey, Tris come here. This is Clarke. Did your mom tell you about her?” Tris nodded her head. “Can you bring her upstairs and let your mom know she's here, please? Clarke you can put your boxes right in the living room there.” Anya finished.

“Sure, thanks, Anya,” Clarke replied. She set the boxes down. Tris grabbed her hand and led her upstairs. What a strange coincidence that Lexa is friends with Raven’s current conquest. Clarke thought to herself.

Tris stopped once they reached the top of the stairs. “I’m Tris. This is mommy’s studio where she works. She has biggie on right now though so..” Tris looked at Clarke expectantly, her features telling Clarke that she should know what that means, but in all honesty, Clarke felt lost. Tris opened up the door, and sure enough, Biggie was playing through the speakers, and she saw Lexa moving around with the beat. She was sweaty and while she moved with so much grace, she looked relaxed. Clarke's stomach instantly flipped, and she felt little flutters. The moment Lexa turned around and their eyes met, the lost memories from the other night came flooding back. Lexa was the one Raven, and Octavia had told her about, the one she had danced with at Grounders. The one who moved so sexily and smoothly Clarke's underwear had been ruined before they had even touched. _Well, this isn't going to be awkward at all now is it?_ Clarke thought to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks so much to my wonderful beta for her help and quick turnaround!
> 
> Let me know what you thought in the comments :) feedback and kudos keep the motivation flowing!
> 
> Tumblr: xoheda-clexaxo


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clarke showed up to the woods residence for 'moving day' and when she saw Lexa dancing her lost memories came flooding back from the previous weekend. With this new information how will the blonde react?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this update. Things have been super crazy around here and I found I just wasn't happy with this chapter. I rewrote it multiple times and hope that you like how it came out!
> 
> As always thanks to my patient beta Darcie for making my super tired, train wreck of thoughts flow smoothly and make more sense. This story definitely wouldn't be enjoyable to read without her help!

Chapter 6

Clarke stood there with her jaw ajar, the memories of the other night replaying in her head as Lexa made her way over toward Clarke. She closed her mouth and hoped she had recovered before Lexa noticed. _She clearly doesn't remember, so no need to make this awkward for the both of us,_ Clarke thought to herself.

“Hi Prisa, I see you've met Clarke. Thank you for bringing her up here for me. Where's your auntie?” Lexa asked her daughter.

“Auntie Anya is downstairs talking to Clarke’s pretty friend,” Tris told Lexa as she grabbed Clarke's hand again and looked up at her. “Do you want to come play warriors with Auntie and me?” She asked Clarke with her big puppy dogs eyes and pouty lip.

Before Clarke could answer her, Lexa spoke up. “Sorry Love, maybe Clarke can play later, mommy’s going to show her to her room so she can get settled. Can you go to your room and Auntie will be up to play in a little bit?” Lexa asked her daughter. Tris nodded her head, dropped Clarke’s hand and went down the hallway toward her room. “Sorry about that Clarke, she's excited to have someone new here to play with her. I just need to find Anya and let her know Tris is waiting for her and then I'll show you to your room and so you can get settled in,” Lexa told her with a smile. 

Clarke was caught up in her thoughts, loving the way Lexa clicked the k in her name when she said it. When Lexa gave her a questioning look, Clarke blushed realizing she, to some extent, had been caught. “Sure, that would be great," she answered with a smile. Clarke followed Lexa downstairs noticing that Anya and Raven were no longer by the front door. Clarke pulled out her phone to send Raven a quick ‘thanks for leaving without saying goodbye asshole’ message before she noticed Ravens car was visible from the window. 

“I think maybe they stepped outside?” Clarke told Lexa. Lexa walked to the front door with Clarke following close behind. It was the first time Clarke had managed to get a good look at her since being there. Lexa's hair was up in a messy bun with intricate braids holding in place any hairs that might try to escape. Lexa was in a pair of sweatpants and a tank, and Clarke wasn't about to pretend that even this casual look didn't make the brunette look attractive.

Once they opened the door, they saw that Anya had Raven pushed up against her car door with her tongue down her throat. Lexa cleared her throat, and the two women quickly separated. “Tris is waiting for you upstairs to play a game, Anya. Would you mind keeping her distracted so I can show Clarke to her room?” Lexa asked, her tone flat and clearly annoyed with the other woman. 

With that, Anya leaned in and whispered something to Raven, which made her chuckle and then gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek. “Yeah, yeah I'm on my way.” As Anya walked past them, Clarke caught Anya raising her eyebrows suggestively at Lexa. She decided to ignore it, equating it to an inside joke between friends and quickly made her way over to give Raven a hug and tell her goodbye. 

After Clarke and Lexa had made their way back inside the house, Lexa helped Clarke grab her things, and they headed towards the back of the house. They went through the dining room, out the sliding glass doors, and into the backyard. Clarke was a bit confused at first until she noticed the building in the back yard, and Lexa was headed right towards it. 

“You’ll be staying in the guest house. I figured it might be easier to study if you can separate yourself from the children and myself. There's a small kitchenette in here, but you will have to do laundry inside. My first day back at work will be Monday, so I'll be around to help you ease into our very busy schedule over the next couple days. Do you have any questions?” Lexa asked her, while she opened the guest house door. She sounded monotone, and her face was emotionless, the complete opposite of the carefree woman Clarke had walked in on not 20 minutes ago. 

“No, I should be alright, thank you again for taking a chance on me,” Clarke said with a timid smile, hoping to elicit some sort of emotion from the brunette. It didn't work, of course, Lexa just nodded and put the box down that she had been carrying. She turned around to leave, opening the door. 

“Dinner is at five tonight. Do you have any dietary restrictions? We tend to eat more on the healthy side here, so if you prefer you can make your own meals. Either way, just let me know," Lexa stated, turning her head and locking eyes with the blonde. 

“No restrictions, I'll see you at five. Thanks again, Lexa.” Clarke gave a quick smile and shifted her eyes away from green when she felt her cheeks starting to get hot from the prolonged eye contact. Lexa nodded and shut the door. Clarke let out a breath that she hadn't even noticed she had been holding. Lexa's moods were giving her whiplash. She couldn't understand how she could seem so relaxed and happy one minute and cold and closed off the next. _Maybe it's just nerves or the fact that you don't know each other_ Clarke thought to herself. _Or you could be reading too much into it because you're super attracted to your boss. Shake it off Clarke and get your head in the game. You're here to work._ It was going to take some getting used to, but Clarke was stubborn, and she knew that she could eventually talk herself into being at ease around Lexa. She chalked her current difficulties up to the memories of the weekend still being so fresh in her mind. 

 

Lexa stood at her daughter's door and watched Anya and Tris play some make-believe game. Aden was sitting off to the side playing with some blocks. “Tris, hunny, Auntie has to go home soon and Mommy needs to talk to her before she leaves so can you please play with your brother for a little bit and then you can help me start dinner if you'd like?” Lexa asked her daughter. 

“Do you have to go Auntie Anya?” Tris looked over at her aunt with hopeful, pleading eyes. 

“Yeah I do Trissy, but I don't have to go away for work for a few weeks so anytime you want to see me you just let your Mommy know, and I will come over. How does that sound?” Tris gave her aunt a small smile and nodded before making her way over to her brother to help him with his blocks. 

Anya followed Lexa downstairs. As soon as they were out of the kid's earshot, Lexa spoke. “Making out with your latest girl toy at my house is inappropriate Anya. I don't want you giving Tris or Aden the wrong idea. I thought you understood that? You're a major part of their lives, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't engage in PDA in front of them unless you're in a serious committed relationship. It sends the wrong message to them," Lexa chastised, with a stern look on her face. 

“Alrighty then, I can see you're feeling much better,” Anya shot back sarcastically. “First off Lexa, you know I wouldn’t do that; I was outside, and Raven took me by surprise. She makes me feel different than I ever have before. I wouldn't have done it in your house where the kids could've seen. Take a chill pill, Lex.” Anya added the last part, trying to instill a bit of humour into their conversation. She could tell by the scowl on Lexa's face she failed. 

“It doesn't matter if you were outside, Tris could've looked out her window at any moment. What has gotten into you?”

“What has gotten into me? No, Lexa, I think the question is, what has gotten into you? Even though I understand where you're coming from; the feeling of abandonment, losing Costia,”

“Don't. Don't bring Costia into this.” Lexa cut her off before she can even finish her thought. “This has nothing to do with that, and everything to do with you. Just watch yourself around my kids,” Lexa finished with a stern look on her face, quickly masking her hurt and anger.

“You know you're going to have to talk about it eventually. You're not the only one who lost her Lex. And when you're ready I'll be here," Anya softly said, with a look of hurt flashing across her face. She turned and headed for the front door. “I'll talk to you later Lexa. Give my niece and nephew a hug and kiss for me.” Anya didn't turn around when she spoke and didn’t wait for Lexa to reply before she walked out the door. Lexa released a shaky breath she didn't know she was holding and schooled her features as she moved toward the stairs and headed up to check on her children. 

*****

_May 17th, 2015_

_Lexa, Costia, and Tris were leaving the women's clinic, Lexa holding an umbrella over Costia and a sleeping Tris through the downpour that had started just before they had left for the appointment. They had chosen carefully, trying to find somewhere they felt comfortable, somewhere that was accepting of their relationship and situation, and this clinic had been the best fit for them, even though it was almost two hours away from their house. Tris had fallen asleep halfway through their appointment, clutching onto her copy of her sibling's picture. Costia buckled her into her car seat being careful not to wake her up._

_For the first time in months, Lexa was excited about the new baby. After seeing the little fluttering of its heartbeat on the screen for the first time, and the outline of a baby starting to form, how could she not already be so in love with this life that was growing inside of her?_

_Lexa folded up the umbrella and shook off the water and tucked in behind the front seat before quickly jumping into the driver’s side. She started the car, flicked on the windshield wipers and glanced over at Costia as she pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. Costia had an unreadable look on her face as she absentmindedly clicked her seat belt into place. Lexa had noticed that her fiancée had been quiet for the better part of the day. “Costia is something the matter?” Lexa asked, reaching for Costia's hand as she returned her focus to the road in front of her._

_Costia looked at her with tears in her eyes and pulled her hand away. “Everything is wrong, Lexa. None of this is fair," Costia replied, her sad demeanor quickly changing to anger. “This should be me,” she nearly shouts, trying to keep quiet so as not to wake Tris in the back._

_Lexa feels a pang of guilt. She thinks back to all the months of IUI they tried before Costia went in for egg extraction only to find out none of her eggs were viable. She didn't know what to say to her fiancée so she looked at her, hoping that her face would convey what she couldn't find the words for. Lexa looked at Costia for less than five seconds, but that was five seconds too long; the car hydroplaned and Lexa lost control. The last thing she remembered before waking up in the hospital were headlights heading straight for Tris and Costia's side of the car._

*****

Present (August 27th, 2016)

Lexa watched her daughter and son play from the hallway, the memories of that tragic day filling her mind. _'You've been in an accident, Miss Woods. Your daughter is fine; she needed a few stitches to close up a cut she got on her head. We will bring her down to your room as soon as she's finished. Your fiancée, on the other hand, suffered major cranial damage. She is out of surgery but has not woken up. Her scans show no sign of brain activity. I hate to do this now, but you need to make a decision.’_ Lexa remembered the words that would forever change her life, and a familiar sadness filled her chest. Tris looked up, almost sensing her sadness and gave her a smile that instantly warmed her. Lexa tucked the sadness away dutifully and walked into her daughter's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought, or might like to see going forward, in the comments. Kudos are also appreciated. 
> 
> My tumbler is [here](https://xoheda-clexaxo.tumblr.com) if you'd prefer to comment there :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 recap: Clarke moved into the woods residence, Anya and Lexa had a 'disagreement' which led to a little bit of Lexa's past being revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in posting, but here's chapter 7! 
> 
> Here's a link to my tumbler specifically for visual aids/ anything 'related' to this fic. I posted Clarke's school schedule and the Woods family schedule for anyone interested in seeing it you can click [here!](https://xoheda-clexaxo.tumblr.com) :)
> 
> Thanks to my wonderful beta Darcie for reading this through a few times and pulling out 1300 more words to make it flow better.

Lexa got up from the place on her daughter's floor, picking up the last of the toys that lay around haphazardly. After having spent a little more time in Tris's room playing with her children, and trying to brighten her mood, Lexa noticed it was just shy of two o'clock and told Tris to go and practice on the piano for half an hour more, and then they would start dinner. After about 5 minutes of Tris pleading _‘but mommy I already practiced today’_ Lexa negotiated with her daughter that she could choose whatever she wanted to help make for dinner. Tris agreed and happily skipped away. 

Lexa grabbed Aden's hands and helped him walk to the top of the stairs. She picked him up, and they began their descent. Lexa plopped him onto the living room carpet and started to go over his colours and shapes with him with the homemade flash cards she had made for him last month. Lexa was amazed, time and time again, by how smart her son was. He never seemed to miss a colour or shape. 

Lexa's heart twinged in her chest as the next words fell loosely from her lips “you're smart, just like your mama. I wish more than anything that you could've met her, little man.” Lexa glanced guiltily at her son, “I'm so sorry, Aden.” Aden looked up at Lexa and cooed happily at her. Lexa sighed deeply. Aden was the only one she could talk freely to about her late love. Knowing he couldn't ask any of the painful questions Lexa always dreaded, was comforting. She picked Aden up, gave him a kiss on his cheek and made her way over to the kitchen knowing that Tris would be coming out soon to help her start dinner. 

 

Tris had decided that she wanted to make lasagna for dinner. Lexa got Aden set up with his play dough and some plastic kitchen tools in his highchair so he wouldn't feel left out. Tris’ favourite thing to help her mom to do in the kitchen was making the noodles for the lasagna. Whenever possible Lexa avoided starches, so they made the noodles from zucchini. Tris and Lexa got to work on the meal and shared lots of happy giggles together, the weight of Lexa's earlier mood forgotten.

***

It was 4:45 pm and the lasagna had been sitting for around five minutes. Tris and Aden were happily colouring at the table, and Lexa was finalizing Clarke’s copy of their weekly schedule, making sure she hadn't left anything out. She was planning on going over it with Clarke after the kids were in bed knowing that it would be easier to focus and Clarke could ask any questions she might have. 

“Mommy, can I set the table?” Tris looked up at her mom with her big green eyes.

“You sure can Prisa,” Lexa replied as she grabbed down three plates and a cup each for Aden and Tris, knowing that Tris could reach the utensils and Aden’s bowl on her own. “Thank you, love,” Lexa said as she gave her daughter a kiss on the top of her head. She then heard the sliding glass door shut, and her head popped up just in time to see Clarke turn towards them. Lexa felt her heart speed up and mentally reminded herself to calm down, and that this was a working relationship. 

Tris bounded over to Clarke and grabbed her hand while she smiled up at the blonde. “Do you want to sit beside me, Clarke?” she asked, her usual puppy dog eyes flashing just at the right moment to melt Clarke's heart. 

Clarke nodded and glanced up at Lexa with a soft smile. She walked over to the table hand in hand with the poised little brunette, taking the seat that Tris told her to. Clarke grabbed a couple of papers from Tris and doodled while they waited for dinner. Lexa watched on in awe, wondering at how taken her daughter was with Clarke. Tris wasn't usually someone to warm up to anyone, especially not adults, so the whole scene playing out in front of her left a warm feeling in her chest. 

Dinner passed in a breeze as Tris spoke animatedly about her nerves and excitement surrounding kindergarten that would start next week and told Clarke about how she had helped her mom with dinner.

 

Once dinner was finished, Clarke insisted on cleaning up, so Lexa took the opportunity to take the kids upstairs and give them a bath. She told Clarke that she could find them when she was done if she wanted to get a head start and see their bedtime routine. 

When Clarke had finished cleaning up she made her way upstairs to find Lexa with a sleepy Aden on her hip and Tris by her side, both still in towels. Clarke smiled up at a flustered looking Lexa and asked: “Can I help you get ready for bed Tris, so your mommy can go put Aden down?” Clarke asked the small brunette. Tris nodded, and she rubbed her eyes and held her hands up to Clarke implying she wanted Clarke to pick her up. Clarke scooped the small brunette up, and they made their way to Tris’ bedroom. 

“I haven't done this before, so you're going to have to be my big helper and tell me what your mommy usually does when she puts you to bed ok?” Clarke looked over at Tris who nodded confidently at her. 

“Pajamas are first, and then we pick a book, and you tuck-in Pauna and me and read it to us,” Tris listed and put a finger up for each step. 

“Sounds easy enough. So where do you keep your pajamas? Are they under here?” Clarke dipped her head down, pretending to check underneath Tris’ bed. 

“No silly, over here in my dresser,” Tris said with a giggle. She picked out a purple nightie with monkeys on it and waved it at Clarke. “This is mine and Pauna's favourite," Tris said, barely able to finish the last word before a yawn took over. 

Clarke helped Tris get into her pajamas and let her pick out a book from the shelf. She lifted Tris onto her bed and reached for the covers before she stopped, remembering she missed a step. “So where's this Pauna I have yet to meet?” Clarke said with a playful smile. Tris half giggled, half yawned as she pulled the stuffed gorilla out from under her pillow and thrust it toward Clarke. “Nice to meet you Pauna,” Clarke said to the stuffed animal as she grabbed its hand and shook it formally. She tucked them both in and reached for the bedside table to turn the lamp on and grabbed the book Tris had chosen for the night. 

Clarke walked over to the light switch and turned the light off and settled onto her knees beside Tris’ bed and opened the book to the first page. “Mommy always lays up here and cuddles me when she reads,” Tris told her, looking at her expectantly. Clarke climbed up and took the spot beside the wall and looked over at a grinning Tris. 

“Like this?” Clarke asked the small brunette, who answered her with a small nod and another yawn. Clarke reopened the book, and as she started to read she felt Tris burrow into her side, and for the first time in weeks, she felt a calmness come over her. For the first time in a long time, Clarke knew everything would be okay and that she was right where she was supposed to be.

 

Aden had taken longer than usual to fall asleep. Lexa figured that it was because of the big day they had, full of changes and excitement. She quietly shut the nursery door and started towards her daughter's room wondering how Clarke had made out with Tris. She rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks as she took in a sleeping Clarke and Tris curled up on the small twin bed. Lexa couldn't help the little smile that crept up on her or the warm feeling that took up residence in her chest once again. She stood there for a few more moments before she made her way over to Clarke and gently roused her.

Clarke got up carefully and watched Lexa as she bent down to give her daughter a quick kiss on the forehead and she heard a faint “I love you Prisa, sweet dreams.” In response, a small hum emanated from an almost sleeping Tris.

Clarke followed Lexa downstairs, stifling a yawn and looked over at Lexa once they reached the lower level of the house. Clarke's eyes took in Lexa's rosy cheeks, probably from snuggling Aden to sleep, and her eyes momentarily dipped to Lexa’s lips. She heard a subtle clearing of a throat, and her eyes shot back up to Lexa’s. _Crap. Caught again,_ she thought to herself. 

“I was hoping to go over the weekly schedule with you, but if you're too tired, we can go over it tomorrow if you'd like,” Lexa offered, a new softness in her eyes that Clarke hadn't seen before. 

“No it's ok, we can go over it now. I'm not that tired. Tris just fell asleep, and I didn't want to move too soon and wake her and I must've dozed off while I was waiting for the time to pass,” Clarke said, deciding she wanted to spend a little more time with this softer version of Lexa. This Lexa seemed to have her guard down a bit. “It might be a good chance to get to know each other a little better as well.” Clarke finished, noting a momentary flash of resistance in Lexa's eyes.

As Clarke waited for Lexa to answer her, she started to wonder if she had overstepped. Just as she was about to give Lexa an out, she heard the brunette finally answer her question. “Ok, would you like a glass of wine?” Lexa asked, motioning Clarke to the living room and heading over to the cupboard where the wine glasses were. Clarke gave Lexa a smile and a small nod, relieved that Lexa seemed to be at ease again and sat down on the couch.

 

After going over the schedule in great detail with Lexa and three glasses of wine later, Clarke realized she was going to be doing a lot more than she thought and hoped it wouldn't get in the way of her studies. She glanced over at Lexa who had just asked her if there were any conflicts with her school schedule or if she had any other questions.

“No, I think we've about covered it,” Clarke said with a sweet smile. With the pleasant buzz of the wine coursing through her veins she felt emboldened. “I do, however, think we should get to know each other a little better since, you know, we’re practically living together.” Clarke noticed the faint blush adorning Lexa's ears and quickly added, “Why don't we take turns asking each other questions, no pressure. If you, or I, don't want to answer we can just pass on the question and move on?” Clarke asked, and to her surprise, Lexa agreed. 

“Alright then, I'll start. What is it exactly that you do for a living?” Clarke asked, and Lexa gave her a puzzled look. “I mean I know you dance," she clarified. "God, do I ever know you dance,” Clarke mumbled the last part to herself, looking away. She didn't realize she had said it loud enough for Lexa to hear her until she heard a soft chuckle, but Lexa had recovered by the time Clarke's eyes shot back up to her. _Does she remember me from last weekend? Or was she laughing at my current lack of a filter due to the wine,_ Clarke wondered to herself momentarily. Deciding to move on from that particular train of thought, for for the time being, she finished her question. “But what exactly do you do?” 

“I own a dance studio. So we teach classes, do workshops, choreography, and anything along those lines. We have group sessions, and then private sessions,” Lexa answered, taking a sip of wine.

 _Sign me up for one of those,_ Clarke thought and then instantly chastised herself. “Ah, all right, gotcha. So do you go in the evenings for paperwork and administrative duties? Or do you also teach classes?” Clarke asked curiously.

“I do believe it's my turn isn't it, Clarke?” Lexa asked, almost playfully, the subtle click of the K in her name not lost on Clarke. Clarke grinned at her, hoping it didn't come off as awkward and didn't give Lexa any indication of the flip her stomach did every time Lexa said her name. She motioned for Lexa to take her turn. “What are you going to school for?”

“I'm working towards my bachelors of fine arts, studio art more specifically; I'm hoping to open my own gallery someday. Which at the moment doesn't seem very feasible, but I'm still minoring in business just in case I can make that dream a reality.” Clarke finished, and Lexa noted the sadness in her eyes. It was only there momentarily before the blonde looked up and smiled at the brunette, the smile not quite reaching her eyes. “So what exactly does the job of an owner of a dance studio entail?”

“A little bit of everything. I teach classes and also do a good part of the administrative duties. I've been off work to care for Aden for the last year, so I haven't done anything other than what I can do from home, so I am excited to get back to the more physical part of my job.” Lexa said and cocked a brow when she noticed the faint blush on Clarke's cheeks. Choosing to ignore it, and not blur the lines more than she already has, Lexa asked her next question. “Why Arkadia? Why not something closer to home?”

“How do you know that this isn't home?” Clarke said, somewhat challengingly. “I never said where I'm from.”

“I just assumed. I figured you wouldn't be looking for a live-in type job if this was home,” Lexa explained, realizing she may have hit a nerve.

“Pass,” Clarke muttered, finishing off the last sip of her wine and held out her glass for Lexa to top it back up. “One more glass then we'll call it a night?” she asked, trying to shake the heavy feeling in her chest.

“Sure,” Lexa replied with a kind smile and filled their glasses again. “So whose turn is it? Do I ask you something else or,” she trailed off.

“Yeah, you can go again.” Clarke smiled at her, clearly having moved passed the awkwardness of Lexa's last question.

“What made you want to go into art?” Lexa asked timidly, not knowing if it was the school or family aspect of the last question that seemed to upset the blonde.

“I've always loved art, for as long as I can remember I loved to draw. The feeling of making something beautiful out of a blank canvas brings me so much joy. Knowing that I can touch so many people and that my art can be viewed in so many ways, meaning something different to each individual who sees it is just,” Clarke stopped momentarily, looking as though she was trying to find the right words to make sure Lexa understood. “There's just nothing that compares to that feeling,” she finished with a one-sided shrug.

Lexa looked at her with what Clarke thought might be awe, or admiration even. She saw her passion reflected back to her through Lexa’s soft green eyes. “Do you get the same feeling when you dance?” she asked Lexa.

"Yes and no. Dance for me is more like an escape. I feel like I can be open, honest, and free when I dance; like the weight of the world is momentarily forgotten and I can just be,” Lexa locked eyes with the bright blues in front of her. “Does that even make any sense?” She chuckled a little, wondering if the blonde understood. Clarke nodded solemnly, and Lexa noticed that the conversation had gotten rather personal. She decided to change it up before Clarke asked anything she was not up for discussing, knowing that the wine she had consumed left her with a faint buzz and her lips weren't as tight as they usually were. “Do you like to dance at all?” Lexa asked the blonde with a small smirk. “I mean for fun, or with friends or whatever?” She raised an eyebrow to go along with the smirk and noticed an almost knowing look on Clarke's face, and knew she had her right back where she wanted her. She quickly added, “If not, you should consider it. I could teach you some time if you want,” she finished, noting the skeptical look on the blonde's face.

 _She definitely remembers me from last weekend,_ Lexa thought to herself and hid her smile behind her wine glass, knowing her subtle hint wasn't quite enough but was just enough to keep the blonde guessing at Lexa’s memory around that particular night.

"I sometimes dance, when I'm out with friends, but I'm not very good. Strictly for fun,” Clarke replied, wondering again if Lexa remembered her.

“So,” Clarke started, somewhat reluctantly, “is Tris and Aden's dad around?”

“Pass,” Lexa said and took a drink of her wine, almost finishing her glass. She looked thoughtfully at Clarke for a few moments before she sighed and looked away. "Just so you know, for the job's sake, it's just me. But pass on any possible questions about another parent,” Lexa said, as she turned back to Clarke with a stern look on her face.

“Ok,” Clarke took another sip of her wine. “Is wine your drink of choice?” Clark asked lamely after a moment, trying to lighten the mood once again.

“Actually, I prefer whiskey. But wine is a bit more acceptable when you're a parent it seems,” Lexa answered, and Clarke let out a soft chuckle, thankful that the mood had once again settled back into a comfortable state.

"What about you, what's your drink of choice?” Lexa asked.

“Certainly not tequila,” Clarke laughed, and Lexa looked at her slightly puzzled but let out a small laugh when Clarke appeared to be laughing a bit harder than she should be for a simple question. “I like vodka,” Clarke shrugged.

“Hmm, I would've thought you'd liked tequila,” Lexa said with that cute little smirk on her face again. Clarke couldn't help but wonder, once again, if Lexa remembered her from Grounders. It was too coincidental for Lexa to make two remarks that seemed to flash back to that night, for it not to be intentional. Clarke considered using her next question to ask Lexa if she remembered her, but then Lexa finished her thought with, “most college girls love tequila for the quick buzz, so it isn't too far of a stretch.”

With that last statement, doubt again crept in and Clarke quickly changed her mind about a next question and got up to take her empty glass to the kitchen. She flashed Lexa a quick, warm, smile. “I'm getting pretty tired and want to rest up for my first day tomorrow, so I think I should call it a night.” Clarke deposited her wine glass into the sink and walked over to the sliding glass door, and stopped right before she opened it. She turned around to face Lexa, a warm buzz coursing through her. She had a sudden wave of courage and decided to take a chance and finally ask Lexa the question that had been on her mind all night. “Are we really going to keep pretending that you don't remember me from Grounders?” Clarke said, dropping her voice an octave. Clarke noticed the instant blush dusting the tips of the brunette's ears and cheeks, and knew the answer before the words left Lexa’s plump lips.

“Oh, I remember, I just wasn't that impressed,” Lexa said as she raised one of her perfectly shaped eyebrows, tilting her head slightly to the side. “Professional dancer, remember?” Lexa added before she turned around and walked away. Clarke chuckled, _we’ll see about that,_ she thought. Clarke much preferred this playful side of Lexa and decided that she wanted to witness this side of the brunette more often. _If I have to cross some flirty boundaries to bring her out, I will. A little harmless flirting never hurt anyone,_ she thought to herself as she opened the door and slipped out into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you thought in the comments or my tumbler is [here](https://xoheda-clexaxo.tumblr.com) if you'd prefer to comment there :) kudos are also appreciated! <3 A


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 recap: Clarke first dinner/evening with the woods. Also first bedtime and some grown up '20 questions' and wine time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, I know this update took forever! I hope you're still with me here and appreciate your patience! Thanks to Darcie who helps smooth my thoughts together and corrects my jumbles. Let me know what you think in the comments :)

Clarke awoke with a start the next morning, her dreams seemingly having a mind of their own. Memories of her new boss on repeat, except these weren’t exactly memories; her dreams were definitely more explicit than the PG dancing she had walked into yesterday afternoon. After laying in bed and thinking about what the day might have in store for her, Clarke dragged herself out of bed and glanced at her phone. 6:18 am. _Definitely_ the earliest she had been out of bed in awhile, and it finally made sense why it was taking so much effort to do something as simple as getting out of bed for the day. Clarke had never really been a morning person, but thankfully the rush of her new job and a not so bad looking boss made the 6 am wake up a little easier. 

Once Clarke had fully managed to pry herself off the extremely comfy bed, she decided to take a shower to help wake up her sluggish senses. Lexa hadn’t mentioned what time she wanted Clarke over at the house, so she figured the earlier, the better. _At this godforsaken hour there’s no way I’ll be late,_ she thought to herself as she peeled her sleepwear off and padded to her small, but cozy, bathroom. Clarke let the water pour over her body for much longer than necessary, willing it to wake her up so she could be at her best for her first day of work. 

Several long minutes later, and not feeling any more refreshed, Clarke quickly washed up, hopped out of the shower and wrapped one of the fluffy navy blue towels around herself. _Today is going to be a multiple coffee day;_ she decided as she wiped off the last of yesterday’s makeup in the small mirror above the sink. Clarke left the bathroom and made her way to the wardrobe by her bed to pick out her clothes for the day. Just as she opened the drawer, Clarke heard a knock at the door. She swiftly made her way over to the front door of the guest house, figuring that at this hour it must be something important. Forgetting momentarily she had just finished her shower and was only in her towel; she opened the door to reveal Lexa who was looking back towards the house. 

“Sorry, I hope I didn’t wake you," Lexa began, still looking behind her. "We didn’t discuss a time for you to come over to the house and I was hoping to get in a...run,” Lexa trailed off breathlessly as she turned towards Clarke and froze, taking in her wardrobe situation, or lack thereof. Lexa stood there, mouth half ajar, spine stiff as her eyes raked over Clarke’s nearly naked form. Lexa’s green eyes snapped back up to make contact with bashful blues. The blush that was creeping up on Clarke’s cheeks seemed to pull Lexa back to reality. “Sorry," Lexa mumbled, trying to compose herself. "I was hoping to get a, uh, a run in this morning," she repeated numbly, swallowing hard and clearing her throat, tension heavy in the air. “It’s been a lot harder to get myself back into shape than I thought it would be.” Lexa looked awkwardly to her left, the pool suddenly an object of immense interest to her.

“Sure that’s no problem at all. I’ll be over in a few minutes.” Clarke responded, and watched with amusement as Lexa struggled to remember how to move. Glancing down at the towel, and back up at Lexa, Clarke couldn’t help the small knowing smirk that graced her lips. 

Lexa drew herself up and squared her shoulders. Her mask of indifference settling once more over her face, before she crisply said,“ Ok," and gave Clarke a brief nod before turning and striding away. Clarke watched Lexa’s retreating silhouette for much longer than necessary, silently appreciating how amazing Lexa’s behind looked in her tight leggings. She quickly shook herself out of her daze and closed the door quietly before Lexa caught her ogling her assets.

 

After choosing her clothes for the day, a form-fitting moderately low cut, but tasteful, baby blue top and tight skinny jeans, Clarke entered the main house through the sliding glass door. She couldn’t deny that she had Lexa in mind when she picked out her clothes for the day, the image of Lexa staring at her with her mouth partially agape and a flicker of something in her eyes that seared momentarily into Clarke's eyelids. 

Lexa must’ve heard her enter the house because within a few seconds she was in the kitchen. “The kids are still in bed. If they’re not up by 7:30 can you please wake them up and feed them some breakfast? I’ve got their oatmeal laid out and ready to go in the kitchen. I’m not sure how long I’ll be, but I trust you can manage?” Lexa asked professionally, keeping her eyes trained firmly on Clarke's, much to Clarke's disappointment, 

“Absolutely,” Clarke replied with a smile. “Have a nice run.” And with that Lexa was out the door faster than Clarke could blink.

Clarke headed over to the kitchen to make herself a pot of coffee, but before she could pour herself a glass, she heard Aden on the monitor. She quietly made her way to up to Aden’s room and grabbed him from his bed. She picked him up, and he looked mildly unpleased. “Hi, sweetie. Oh no, please don’t cry. I know you’re used to your mommy right? Don’t worry little guy we’re going to have a lot of fun today.” She walked him over to his change table and laid him down. He started to fuss, still unsure of waking up to someone other than his mom. “It’s okay buddy; we’re just going to get you a fresh bum and then we’ll go have some yummy brekkie okay?” Clarke tried. However, his fussing turned into soft cries, and Clarke began to panic slightly. She quickly finished changing him and pulled him close to her, and bounced with him softly. “Shh, shh shh..” she tried like she’d seen in the movies, making her way back down to the kitchen. 

“Okay buddy, we’re gonna try something else ok? It’ll be our little secret. You can’t tell anyone how terrible my voice is okay?” She looked at Aden, who was watching her like she had completely lost it. “Okay, okay.” She started out humming a tune. Aden immediately stopped crying and tilted his head up to peer at Clarke through tear-filled lashes. “Oh, you like that hey?” She continued humming, and then softly started to sing, swaying with Aden in her arms. _“May you grow up to be righteous, may you grow up to be true, may you always know the truth and see the lights surrounding you.”_ She put Aden into his highchair and danced over to the stove to add the hot kettle water to his oatmeal. _“May you always be courageous, stand upright and be strong, may you stay forever young, forever young, forever young. May you stay forever young.”_ She turned around to find a smiling, happy, Aden. “You and I were going to be okay buddy.” Clarke smiled at him, and he coo’d back in response.

 

After breakfast was over and the kids were both dressed for the day Clarke had no idea what to do with them next. Lexa still hadn’t returned from her run, and the kids daily schedule was pretty much null and void due to classes not starting until next week. “Can you please help me with this book mommy got me, Clarke? It’s to help me be ready for school. I’ve been working really hard and only have a couple of pages left.” Tris smiled triumphantly. 

“Yes I absolutely can,” Clarke responded. “Do you want to work on it now, or wait until your brother is napping?”

“We can do it now, Aden likes to color. He can borrow one of my coloring books. I don’t mind.” Tris said as she set up a coloring book and a few crayons on her little brother's highchair. 

Clarke and Tris were halfway through the second page when they hear the front door open. Lexa walked in, in all her sweaty glory, chugging the last of her water as she made her way to the kitchen to refill her bottle and Clarke couldn’t take her eyes off of her. Clarke heard Tris talking to her mother, but was so fixated on the beads of sweat on Lexa’s muscles and abs that she had no idea what the actual words coming out of Tris’s mouth were. She forced her eyes up to the green orbs that had glanced her way and noticed the redness of Lexa’s cheeks. Clarke couldn’t tell if it was from exertion or embarrassment from her heated gaze. Silently hoping it wasn't the latter, Clarke snapped out of her reverie when Lexa announced that she was going for a quick shower and retreated toward the stairs. _Oh, Griff are you ever in trouble,_ she thought to herself and sighed. She was so unbelievably turned on by her boss that she had no idea how she was ever going to be able to keep her mind focused whenever Lexa was around.

 

The next couple of days went by relatively the same way. Clarke woke up with the kids and spent the morning with them while Lexa ran or went to the studio to work out. Lexa was in and out of the house between errands and getting ready to return to work. When home, Lexa ran Clarke through Tris’s piano practices, and Aden’s learning activities. She gave Clarke directions to the dance studio, Tris’s school and all the places that the children had activities. 

On Saturday, their free day, Clarke decided to take the kids for a drive and get more familiar with the traffic and all the destinations Lexa had given her. “I know you guys aren't very excited to drive around all day, but I would rather not get lost my first time taking you where you need to go,” Clarke finished and looked over at Aden and Tris who still looked less than pleased. “What if we go to the beach afterward? We could play and build some sand castles. If the sun stays out we can even go for a little swim, how would you like that?” She tried as a compromise. 

“Ok Clarke, you’ve got yourself a deal,” Tris walked over and shook Clarke’s hand. 

“You are so much like your mom sometimes little lady,” Clarke said, chuckling as she grabbed Tris and gave her a little tickle to lighten her up. 

Tris wriggled away from her and Clarke could tell she was trying not to laugh. “Well considering she’s my mommy, that’s not surprising,” Tris says with a little bit of sass. “I’ll go get mine and Aden’s swimsuits," she tossed over her shoulder as she hurried off up the stairs.

“Your sister is just so serious sometimes,” Clarke said playfully as she scooped Aden up. “Alright little fella, let's go get the life jackets and beach toys loaded up into the car.” 

 

After familiarizing herself with the directions and streets to the addresses Lexa gave her, Clarke and the kids finally made it to the beach. Aden didn’t nap very long in the car and was getting mildly grumpy and kept smashing down all Tris’s castles, which was making his sister very frustrated. “Aden, please stop doing that, I’m trying to make a city,” Tris told him for the fifth time, trying to remain calm. 

“Come here little guy,” Clarke said as she grabbed him and wrapped him up in his towel. She laid down with him on the blanket and began humming to him, hoping he’d finally give in and go to sleep. She heard her phone beep, signaling she had received a text message and reached over as carefully as she could so she didn’t jostle Aden too much and ruin the progress she’d made getting him to sleep. Clarke looked at her phone and saw that the message was from Lexa, and also noticed that she had missed a message from Raven in their group chat. 

**Lexa [1:07 pm]: Hello, just got home and noticed you guys aren’t here. What did you get up to today?**

**Clarke [1:07 pm]: Hey Lexa, we're just at Camp Jaha beach. I wanted to familiarize myself with the addresses you gave me and the kids, mainly Tris, were less than enthusiastic about it. This was our compromise lol**

**Lexa [1:10pm]: Ok.**

**Clarke [1:10 pm]: feel free to join us if you’d like. I’m sure the kids would love to spend some time with you.**

Clarke glanced up and saw Tris happily rebuilding her sand city, so she checked to see what Raven sent in her earlier message.

**Raven [11:48 am]: Yo Griff, you up from hitting up Grounders tonight? Tonight’s your night off, right? Last hurrah before classes!**

**Clarke [1:12 pm]: I don’t know guys, yes it’s my night off, but I kind of want to relax.**

**Octavia [1:13pm]: come on Clarkeyyyy…**

**Raven [1:13pm]: please Griffster!**

**Clarke [1:14 pm]: Ok fine, as long as you stop messaging me. You’re making the baby stir.**

**Raven [1:14 pm]: woohoo knew you wouldn’t leave us hanging.**

**Octavia [1:15 pm]: ok message you later hot stuff**

Clarke rolled her eyes, locked her phone, and returned it to her purse. She looked down at Aden who was curled into her side and finally sleeping. He was smiling in his sleep and twitching, and Clarke sighed contentedly. Clarke glanced up to see Tris heading toward her. “Clarke, may I go gather some sticks and shells to decorate my city buildings please?” She asked, ever so formal and polite, as usual. 

“Sure thing sweetie, but please make sure you stay where I can see you okay? And don’t walk off too far since I have Aden sleeping here,” Clarke added. 

“Ok, thank you,” Tris replied, as she turned around and grabbed her bucket to collect decorating supplies. 

 

After about half an hour Clarke saw a shadow stretch beside the side of the umbrella. She turned her head slightly, so to not wake Aden, and saw Lexa approach the final few steps until she stood directly beside the umbrella and only a few feet away from where Clarke reclined. Tris sprang to her feet and walked over to meet Lexa halfway. “Mommy,” Clarke heard her say. “Come see my city. I made it all by myself.”

“All by yourself?” Lexa asked her, and Tris nodded her head vigorously. “Great job Prisa, I’ll be right there ok?” She said to her daughter. 

Tris smiled and turned to head toward her city before turning back around. “Mommy, you know you’re going to get your jeans all dirty. Did you bring your swimsuit?” Tris asked, as her brows drew together in concern.

“Don’t worry about me love; I’ll be right there,” Lexa said before she made her way fully over to Clarke. “Where’s Aden?” She asked, slightly panicked. 

Clarke smiled. “Do you really think I’d lose your son? Maybe we should rethink this whole gig," Clarke said playfully. She noticed Lexa’s frown, and before she could worry too much, Clarke conceded. “He’s right here,” she said as she lifted up the towel to reveal a sleeping Aden still curled up into her midsection. Clarke looked up and made eye contact with Lexa who had a look in her eyes that Clarke couldn't quite pin down. Before she could fully process what it might mean, it was gone, and Clarke wondered if she had seen it at all. “Sleeping like a baby, literally speaking.” Clarke finished with a little chuckle, and she was surprised when she heard Lexa release a small laugh as well. 

“It’s not that I don’t trust you with them, Clarke, it's just that it's only been the three of us for a long time. It's hard to let people in, and remember that I don’t have to be on high alert all the time.” Lexa said softly, hoping that Clarke understood. The look in the blonde's eyes told her that she might indeed get it.

“I get it, Lexa, I was just teasing you,” Clarke said, with genuine sincerity in her voice. Clarke hesitated before quietly speaking again, “I don’t mean this at all in a negative way," she began, glancing at Lexa quickly before steeling herself to finish her thought. "But you need to lighten up a little on occasion. You’re so serious all the time, and it's rubbing off on your kids. Tris is such a little mother, and she’s not even five years old yet," Clarke finished softly. 

Clarke looked over at Lexa who was staring at her with a somewhat dumbfounded look on her face. Clarke opened her mouth, about to apologize, realizing that she may have put her two cents in where they weren’t wanted, but then she saw Lexa raise one brow almost challengingly and abruptly closed it. Lexa stood up and without another word, unbuttoned her jeans and slid them down her long legs. Once she’d kicked them off her feet, she peeled her top over her head, leaving her in a tiny forest green bikini that matched her eyes perfectly. “I can be fun,” Lexa said with a smirk. “Just you watch.” Lexa turned away from an astounded Clarke and walked over towards Tris with a little extra pep and sway in her step, knowing that Clarke was watching. _Consider this payback for the towel incident_ Lexa thought to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you thought in the comments or if there's anything you'd like to see or predict! my tumblr is [here](https://xoheda-clexaxo.tumblr.com) if you'd prefer to comment there :) it's also used for visual aid etc for this fic! kudos are also appreciated! <3 A


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter Lexa walked in on Clarke in a towel, Clarke familiarized herself with the locations of the kids activities and took the kids to the beach, and we got to see some more of Lexa’s playful side. :)

Clarke had tried her best to relax back into her previous position without jostling Aden. Lexa, her new boss, had been at the beach with them for at least ten minutes and Clarke had yet to take her eyes off of her. Lexa, in anything, was a vision, so it was only natural that in a bikini she looked like a goddess. Her tanned skin and toned body would make anyone stare, or at least that’s what Clarke was telling herself. 

Clarke felt a little flutter of movement on her stomach, and she looked down to see Aden starting to stir. “Hey little guy, did you have a good sleep?” Clarke asked him as she watched him stretch his little body.

Aden looked up at her a smiled his big toothy grin, “uh huh” he replied. 

Clarke gave him a little tickle and then looked up to see Tris and Lexa heading towards them. She sat up and placed Aden on the edge of the towel so he could play in the sand. 

“Mommy said we could go for a swim. Do you and Aden want to come too?” Tris asked, with a hopeful look on her face. 

“Yaaaaaah,” Aden said and then held his hands up to Lexa so she would pick him up. 

“What about you Clarke, would you like to come swim with us?” Lexa asked.

Clarke was about to answer when Tris spoke up. “Clarke where’s your bathing suit? You surely can’t go into the water in a t-shirt,” Tris told her matter of factly and Clarke looked over with Lexa with an ‘I told you’ written on her face. To which Lexa barley managed to contain an eye roll and just glared back at the blonde.

Clarke considered Tris' request for a swim. She wasn’t one to feel self-conscious about her looks. She loved her body and her curves. But she couldn’t help but feel slightly inadequate while staring at Lexa who looked perfect in her suit. “I think I’ll stay here and keep an eye on all of our stuff. Someone has to protect your city, right little missy?” Clarke said to Tris, and she thought she caught what appeared to be a flash of disappointment in Lexa's eyes. “You guys go ahead and have fun; I’ll be right here when you’re all wet and need to be taken care of.”

Clarke felt her face instantly get hot when the double meaning registered and was thankful Tris had turned away and was skipping happily towards the water calling over her shoulder that she’d wait for Lexa and Aden at the water's edge. Lexa looked at her briefly with a look of mild shock but quickly recovered as a mischievous look took its place on her face. “You’re going to take care of us, Clarke?” Lexa said in a hushed tone, clicking the ‘k’ in Clarke’s name in a way that did terribly, wonderful things to her, before she winked and made her way to join Tris with Aden.

_This woman is seriously going to be the death of me,_ Clarke thought to herself, still half shocked with Lexa's rebuttal. She tried, unsuccessfully, not to stare at her new boss frolicking around in the water.

***

After dinner and helping Lexa get the kids settled into bed Clarke retreated to the guest house so she could start getting ready for an evening out with her friends. She pulled multiple outfits out and tried them on not sure what kind of look she wanted for the night. As Clarke pulled the third outfit off, she heard the guest door open. She turned around with her arms folded across her chest suddenly feeling insecure in only her bra, not knowing who was walking into her room. Clarke was relieved to see it was only Raven. “Ever heard of knocking?” Clarke asked, feigning annoyance. 

“For you? Never,” Raven laughed and plopped herself down onto Clarke’s bed. “Is that what you’re wearing tonight?” Raven asked, her eyes playfully roving over Clarke’s barely covered upper half of her body. “I mean, not that I’m complaining," Raven joked. 

“Oh shush,” Clarke replied as she picked up a pillow and lobbed it at her friend. “I’m having a hard time deciding what I want to wear. I don’t exactly know what kind of message I want to give off tonight. You know?” Clarke searched for more options in her wardrobe. 

Raven hopped off the bed and made her way over to the growing pile of clothes. “Leave it to me,” she said, as she started to dig through the pile. “Ah ha! Wear this,” she exclaimed and tossed the outfit over to Clarke.

Clarke put on the outfit that Raven chose, while her friend checked her phone. “Is this you telling me I need to get laid, Rae?” She asked, chuckling. 

“Well not necessarily, but when is that a bad thing?” Raven said with a wink. “Now hurry up hot stuff, Anya wants us to have a drink over at the house before we head out.”

***

Over at the main house, Lexa poured herself and Anya a glass of wine. “So I see you’ve finally managed to leave Raven's side long enough to grace me with your presence,” Lexa said to Anya, hoping that her statement sounded lighter to Anya’s ears than it did to her own. 

“I know I haven’t been around as much as I usually am when I’m home and I apologize for that. But I’m not going away again for awhile.” Anya said, taking a deep breath before the next words left her mouth. “I know it’s early Lex, but I’ve never felt like this. This thing with Raven is, scary? But good scary. Really good. I don’t know; I just don’t know how to explain it.” Anya said as she released a deep breath with a sigh. 

“Who are you and what have you done with my sister?” Lexa joked. “But seriously, I’m happy for you Ahn. If she’s got you like this, then it really must be serious," Lexa smiled sadly, trying to sound optimistic for her sister but remembering the love she had lost. She looked up and just as Anya was about to say something they heard the sliding glass door open and Raven walked in with Clarke right on her heels. 

The first thing Lexa noticed was that the majority of Clarke’s legs were on display. Clarke wore a large sweater, heels, and a tight black skirt that sat barely two inches below her butt. Lexa turned around and headed for the cupboard to get Clarke and Raven a glass, a welcome distraction to keep her eyes trained on something other than Clarke’s legs that seemed to go on forever. She grabbed the glasses and took a deep breath before she turned around and walked back toward the others. 

“Would you guys like some wine?” Lexa asked the newcomers, as well as Anya who had just finished her last glass.

“Sure, thanks,” Clarke said with a small smile. 

Clarke sipped on her glass of wine while the other three engaged in conversation and if she was unusually quiet no one commented on it. She noticed Lexa's eyes drift over to her every so often but thankfully Raven was so wrapped up trying to get on Lexa's good side that she didn’t pick up on her best friends weird mood. Clarke felt her phone vibrate, so she glanced down to see a new message from Octavia. 

**Octavia [9:02 pm]: I’m at the door Clarkey, come let me in**

“Hey Octavia's here, I’m going to go let her in,” Clarke announced, seemingly to herself. She made her way to the front door, and the minute it opened Octavia jumped into her arms.

“Hey babe, you miss me?” She asked, planting a big sloppy kiss on Clarke. Octavia giggled and hopped back down to the floor. “The party’s here ladies,” she announced as she waltzed into the kitchen. Clarke followed Octavia, and blue eyes connected with green on the way. Clarke noticed a puzzled look with something else she couldn’t quite pin in Lexa's stare. Before she can analyse it, Lexa schooled her face back to one of indifference. “So what’s the plan for tonight?” Octavia asked Raven. 

“Well, since you and I are getting laid on the regular,” Raven grinned at Anya. “We should help the less fortunate,” Raven finished, as she pointed her thumb in the direction of Clarke and Octavia. 

“I don’t need your help; I’ll have you know I have a fine piece of ass waiting for me at the bar. So I guess it’s only you, Clarkey Poo,” Octavia shot back and threw a wink at Clarke.

“I don’t think we need to worry about her too much,” Raven laughed. “I made sure all her god given assets are on display tonight.” Raven cackled, and Clarke, who's face was two shades darker by this time, was suddenly very thankful for the sweater she had on.

“Raven!” Clarke chastised, eyes wide as she subtly shifted her head toward Lexa.

“Oh relax, Clarke, you’re an adult, and it’s your night off. Your boss doesn’t care what you do. Right, Lexa?” Raven asked, rolling her eyes. 

“Right,” Lexa replied, or asked. She’s not sure.

“And you look hot as fuck tonight. Am I right O?” Raven asked, facing Octavia.

“0h yeah, I’d do her. You know, if I was into the ladies,” Octavia giggled while she stole Clarke’s glass from her hand and finished the last of the wine. “What about you Anya, Lexa, care to weigh in? What do you think?” Octavia asked, expectantly. 

“OCTAVIA!” Clarke nearly yelled, keeping in mind the kids sleeping upstairs. “She’s my boss,” Clarke said, once again face beat red. She noticed Raven had whispered something to Anya but decided not to pay it any mind. Clarke stole her cup back from Octavia and brought it over to the sink.

“No, no Raven's right. I know my sister, and she doesn’t care,” Anya piped up. “Show us the full outfit, and we’ll weigh in,” Anya said with a raised brow, side-eyeing her sister. 

Clarke rolled her eyes but obliged none the less. She unzipped her sweater and pulled it down and off her arms. “There you go, what’s the verdict, Anya?” Clarke walked up toward Anya, with a challenging look on her face. Clarke never turned down a dare, and while it wasn’t necessarily worded like a dare, it might as well have been. 

“Daaamnn, Octavia’s right,” Anya stated, cackling when Raven smacked her shoulder. “Ow! You asked,” she continued to laugh. 

Clarke went to put the sweater back on but noticed Lexa's eyes hadn’t left her. She could see the brunette's green eyes locked onto her cleavage, and while she would typically bask in it, she didn’t need Raven on her case about this. Clarke also didn’t need to fall into some fantasy that could never happen, so she quickly pulled the sweater over her shoulders and zipped it up. She let everyone know that she had messaged the Uber, hoping to relieve the awkwardness she now felt.

They all made their way to the door and said goodnight to Lexa before they hurried toward the Uber. Anya hung back with her sister. “I’ll just be a minute,” Anya told Raven who nodded and followed her friends to the car. “Give my niece and nephew a kiss for me in the morning, and let them know I’ll come over for dinner soon. Also, I’m proud of you; I’m glad to see you’re open to the idea of moving on,” Anya finished.

Lexa looked taken aback. “What do you mean exactly?” Lexa asked with a frown.

“I saw how you were looking at Clarke tonight; I can see that there’s something there even if you can’t yet,” Anya supplied, as she observed Lexa for any tells she might reveal that would confirm her thought. 

“Anyone would look at her, she’s beautiful,” Lexa said and quickly tried to backtrack. “I mean.. you know.. who wouldn’t look at her when she’s wearing something like that. You said it yourself,” Lexa huffed, knowing she was busted but hoping Anya would let it go. 

“Alright, yeah you’re right,” Anya relented, now clearly not being the time for this conversation with her stubborn sister. Anya took a few steps toward the Uber before she reached into her purse and then turned around slightly to throw an object at her sister. 

“What’s this for?” Lexa asked, glancing at the water bottle in her hand. 

“To quench your thirst, you look parched,” Anya cackled to which Lexa just rolled her eyes. 

“You’re so funny, Ahn,” Lexa said as she closed the door and headed back inside to have a shower.

***

It didn’t take long after they arrived at Grounders for Clarke to decide she couldn’t handle her libido after how Lexa was staring at her back at the house. It was an itch she couldn’t quite scratch herself, and she couldn’t make a reality out of what she desperately wanted, so she decided to let go and let her ‘party girl griffin’ persona out for the night. Raven was spot on with her outfit, and it wasn't long before a tall blonde was heading toward Clarke with a hungry look in her eye. 

“Hey I’m Niylah, can I get you a drink?” The stranger asked her flirtatiously, to which Clarke held her hand out toward her letting her lead the way.

***

Lexa was working on her second cup of tea. She had already been up for an hour, and the kids were still asleep, so she had decided to head out back to get a head start on her stretching before her morning run seeing as Clarke was due over to the main house in about 20 minutes. Lexa hadn’t heard her come home last night so it must’ve been after she went to bed. She hoped the blonde wouldn’t be too hung over to get through the first few hours of the day while Lexa needed her help before she’d be off for the rest of the afternoon/evening. 

After about five minutes of stretching, she heard the gate on the side of the house open, so she turned around to see who it was. There walking into the backyard was Clarke in the same clothes she had on last night, and her hair was thrown up into a messy bun. Lexa felt a pang of what felt an awful lot like jealousy deep in her abdomen.

Clarke froze like a deer in headlights when she spotted Lexa. “Oh hi. Sorry, I uh, only need ten minutes then I’ll be over. I’m not late, am I?” Clarke asked, a blush creeping up her neck to her face.

“No, you’re not, I came out a bit early to get a head start. Take your time,” Lexa responded without emotion, deciding that the flirty game of cat and mouse that they’ve been playing was too hard on her emotions and vowing to end it on her end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my amazing beta! Also, comment any thoughts you might have, let me know how you’re liking the story thus far. Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see happen. your comments and kudos make me super happy and help my writers block that I’ve been experiencing. Thanks for sticking with me!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter: we finished up the beach scene, Clarke went out with her friends and met a new ‘friend’. Also our mighty Lexa was a bit jealous/put out about Clarke’s ‘extra curriculars’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a bit smaller but it felt finished where it was. I know updates have been few and far between, life has been busy and my ‘inspiration’ was a bit lacking for this story. I sat down and made a gameplabe tho, switched things around and I’m gettig excited for this again. I am trying to get this updated atleast once a month right now, just so you know what to expect. Thanks for sticking with me, and thanks to my amazing beta who makes this all flow a lot smoother :) 
> 
> **also, NSFW warnings. Do we want them in the summary when there’s a chapter that may fall under that category? I hate ‘spoilers’ myself but i know some people like yo be prepared. Let me know in the comments what you think, and if this would be considered NSFW in your books.**

Clarke hurried into the guest house, quickly shutting the door and peeling off her clothes on the way to the bathroom. She hopped into the shower and grabbed her louffa and began to scrub herself clean of last nights activities. Clarke couldn’t quite place her thumb on the reason, but she was feeling off. Niylah, the woman from last night, had been super sweet and very forward which gave Clarke the push she had needed to finally take the leap to tame the constant arousal she felt every time she was around Lexa. She closed her eyes and let the flashback roll, trying to figure out what may have gone wrong last night. Niylah was definitely attractive, _but not as attractive as Lexa_ , Clarke’s brain, unwelcomely, reminded her. 

Clarke groaned in frustration. It’s not like she was doing anything wrong. She reminded herself of the situation, and how no matter the pull she felt towards Lexa she couldn’t act on it. She knew this, so why did last night feel so off? No matter what she had tried Clarke just couldn’t get into it with the other woman last night. She ended up masking her lack of desire by pushing all of her efforts into Niylah to wear her out so that she wouldn’t focus on what was going on. _You know exactly what’s going on,_ her mind reminded her as a flash of green eyes appeared when she closed her eyes.

Groaning in frustration again, Clarke turned the water off and padded out of the shower. She started drying herself off before noticing a couple of bruises lining her collarbone. _Of course,_ she thought as she rolled her eyes and threw on some acceptable Sunday lounging clothes and made her way through the guest house door and into the main residence.

Lexa turned immediately towards Clarke, with the same look of indifference on her face. “I shouldn’t be too long at the studio today. I just need to make sure everything is ready for our classes that are starting tomorrow, and then I will be home, and you will have the rest of the day off.” 

“Okay, sure. But really Lexa, take your time. I don’t have anywhere I need to be today, so it’s not a big deal,” Clarke replied.

Lexa stared at her for a minute, not wavering with the façade she had going on. “Today’s virtually a free day for the kids, I don’t want them too tired out. Especially, Tris, she has a big day tomorrow. I’ll be back in a while.” Lexa turned and made her way towards the garage door, her run seemingly forgotten.

 

*** 

“Now that Aden’s asleep can we please go over everything I need to know for tomorrow Clarke,” Tris pleaded.

“Sweetie, I’m pretty sure you’re already way ahead of what you’re going to learn in kindergarten, let alone need to know to be prepared. Why don’t we do something fun instead? You are going to rock your first day tomorrow,” Clarke said enthusiastically.

“This is fun,” Tris deadpanned. “I want to go over the whole workbook mommy gave me.”

“Go grab it,” Clarke said, chuckling at the cute, stern, look on the 4-year-olds face. “Your mom doesn’t want us doing a lot today, so we can go over it for half an hour then we have to do something a bit easier,” Clarke finished.

“Deal,” Tris replied, holding her hand out to shake on it, eliciting another chuckle from the blonde.

***

When Lexa returned home from work the house was quiet. She assumed that Aden was most likely asleep so she decided to head upstairs to find Tris and relieve Clarke for the day. Going to the office had been a welcome distraction. Lexa didn’t like the idea of being attracted to Clarke, for the simple fact that it was too soon. She didn’t know why her attraction to the blonde was so strong. She hadn’t noticed any other women since Costia had passed. But no matter what her heart or other certain parts of her body were urging her to do, it plain and simply hadn’t been long enough. Not even close to long enough for her to properly honour Costia’s memory, and the potential of the life together that they had lost. So, she pushed it down, like always.

Lexa quietly opened Tris’ door to see if her daughter and Clarke were in there, but had no luck. She made her way back towards the top of the stairs and heard the very faint sound of music down the hall, seemingly coming from her in-home studio. Lexa walked down the hall and peeked her head in to see what was going on. 

“Come on; you can’t always be so serious. Come be silly with me,” Lexa heard Clarke say, to an unmoving Tris. Her daughter looked less than pleased with her arms crossed over her chest. 

“My mommy likes for me to do it a certain way, you’re not even doing it right Clarke,” Tris chastised the blonde. Lexa frowned at that, but still, her heart swelled with pride knowing her daughter wanted to do her proud. 

“It’s just me here Tris,” Clarke said, and she danced her silliest moves towards the young girl, and held her hand out. “Just be silly with me, I promise it’ll be fun. It’s okay to have fun sometimes,” Clarke said as she scooped Tris up and started tickling her while hopping around with her. “You ready? If I put you down will you join me?” Clarke asked the young brunette. 

“Okay, fine just this once.” Tris replied, and Clarke set her down and true to her word she ‘freestyled’ with Clarke. The whole scene made Lexa’s stomach flutter and chest warm. She popped her head out deciding to go downstairs and let them have their moment.

***

Lexa was busying herself with things in the kitchen when Tris and Clarke made their way downstairs. “Mommy you’re home!” Tris exclaimed as she made her way over to her mom to hug her. “Are you home for the rest of the day?” Tris inquired.

“Yes, I am Prisa,” Lexa answered her, as she kissed her daughter on the top of her head. She looked over towards Clarke who was making her way to the back door, wanting to give Lexa and Tris a moment to themselves. “Do you want to practice your piano for a bit maybe while I finish off here and then you have me all to yourself until your brother wakes up?” Lexa asked softly, trying to make eye contact with Clarke and catch her before she went out the door. Tris nodded and skipped off towards the piano.

“Clarke,” Lexa said, once Tris had left the room. Clarke turned around and green locked onto blue. Lexa was seriously becoming a fan of the colour blue, specifically the cerulean blue of Clarke’s eyes. She walked over towards Clarke, stopping about two feet in front of the blonde. “I saw what you did upstairs for Tris,” Lexa started, as Clarke’s face started to turn red, realizing Lexa had seen her acting like a complete moron. “I just wanted to thank you. You’re right, she’s so serious, and I’m glad you’re here to help lighten her up a bit,” Lexa said sincerely. “It’s been really tough, you know, keeping everything running and trying to..” Lexa trailed off, momentarily forgetting who she was talking to and chastising herself for letting her defences down, when she saw a look of softness and understanding in Clarke’s eyes. “Anyways, just thank you.” Lexa finished. 

“You’re a good mom Lexa,” Clarke said as she put a hand on Lexa’s shoulder for reassurance. Clarke quickly dropped it to her side after feeling a jolt of energy run through her hand and hearing a slight catch to Lexa’s breath. “Don’t ever doubt that okay?” Clarke smiled softly and Lexa nodded and Clarke turned around and made her way outside to the guest house. 

Once Clarke was back in the guest house, she decided that she would get everything that she would need ready for class tomorrow, instead of over-analyzing the soft moment she and Lexa had shared just moments ago. She piled some of her favourite pencils and pencil crayons into her bag, along with a sketchbook and some charcoal. Clarke went over to her wardrobe and picked out an outfit as well, figuring that way she could sleep in a little longer in the morning. Once Clarke had nothing left to do, she decided to lay down and have a little nap. She didn’t get much sleep the night before and figured now was as good a time as any for catching up. She laid down and pulled up a book on her e-reader. She didn’t even get through two pages before she was in a fairly deep slumber. 

***

_Clarke sat down or rather was lead to sit down in what she believed to be a chair. She was blindfolded. Music starts up, and she recognizes Paula Cole’s Feelin’ Love playing through the speakers. Clarke feels a finger running over her thigh, and up her abdomen and chest, to her neck. Then the contacts gone, soon replaced by lips kissing up her neck and past her jaw. Clarke feels hot breath on her, lips just barely touching the shell of her ear, and one single word is said breathily into her ear. “Clarke,” she recognizes the voice but can’t quite place it._

_Clarke feels a weight on her lap, and her hands go immediately to the hips of whoever’s sitting on her, as she feels the person grinding into her lap. “Uh uh uh,” the voice says, stilling her movement, and removing Clarke’s hands and placing them back at her side. “No touching” the voice says low and sultry and continues her ministrations. Clarke feels nimble fingers at the blindfold and when the fabric is finally released, she sees Lexa, on her lap, in short shorts and a flowy tank. She groans as Lexa grinds down on her lap, and reaches for the hem of her own shirt. Lexa pulls the shirt over her head revealing her taut abs, which have small beads of sweat rolling down them. “Do you want me, Clarke?” Lexa asks seductively, clicking the K in her name, making her groan again. She moves to nod her head._

**_BEEP, BEEP, BEEP,_** Clarke startled at the sudden sound of her alarm and almost fell off her bed. With her heart racing, and a sticky heat between her thighs she reached over to the bedside table to turn her alarm off. _Shit, dinner time. And what the hell was up with that dream. My god woman pull yourself together._ Clarke thought to herself as she padded off toward the bathroom in search of a cold shower to ease the tension she felt coiled in her stomach before she needed to go inside and join the others for dinner. 

After Clarke emerged from her second shower of the day she checked her phone and saw a message from Lexa. 

**Lexa: (4:07pm) hey are you coming in for dinner tonight? I wasn’t sure because of school tomorrow, and Tris has been asking for you.**

**Clarke: (4:28 pm) yes I was planning on it if that’s okay with you guys?**

**Lexa: (4:29 pm) yes, of course, you’re always welcome Clarke.**

Clarke smiled to herself, happy to be back on seemingly not awkward terms with Lexa anymore. She quickly threw some comfy clothes back on, making sure they were appropriate and not revealing, and hoped that if she started to ignore the thoughts she was having and stopped initiating the flirting, that this ‘fascination’ she had with her boss would go away. 

Clarke entered the main residence and saw Tris’ face light up as soon as she noticed her. “Clarke,” Tris said very seriously, making her way over to Clarke and grabbing her hand. “Will you be coming with Mommy tomorrow to drop me off to my first day of school? I want you there with us too.” Tris asked, with big eyes and her pouty lip. 

“If that’s what you want, and it’s okay with your Mom I would love to. My first class isn’t until 9 am so I do have a bit of time,” Clarke said, smiling at the little brunette, her heart melting a little with the look of pure joy she was receiving. Clarke looked up, her smile turning shy, and made eye contact with Lexa, who gave a little nod indicating she would be okay with Clarke joining them. “So, what’s for supper?” Clarke asked Tris, scooping her up into a hug and bringing her back towards the dinner table.

“Roasted chicken and Kale salad,” Lexa said with a warm smile and warm eyes. _I could definitely get used to this side of Lexa,_ Clarke thought to herself, deciding that staying professional, and less flirty and suggestive from here on out would be best for both her and Lexa. It made her happy to just feel included in this family, and she didn’t want to lose that to lust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought in the comments or if there's anything you'd like to see or predict! my tumblr is [here](https://xoheda-clexaxo.tumblr.com) if you'd prefer to comment there :) it's also used for visual aid etc for this fic! kudos are also appreciated, and make me super excited! <3 A


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter we saw the ‘after effects’ of the awkwardness of Clarke’s extra curriculars. Also just some sweet Clarke/Kid moments. Coming up, the first day of school for both Tris and Clarke!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These mistakes are all my own! My beta has been SUPER busy and I don’t blame her at all, life gets busy! Anyways, I didn’t want to leave you all hanging any longer so I’m going to post this unedited mess and I’ll fix it up when she sends me her edits! If you spot anything that really bothers you let me know in the comments! 
> 
> **updated with the edits from my beta 04/29/18**
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me, and as usual I appreciate all the love, kudos and comments. <3

Clarke laid in her bed, trying to distract herself from the fact that it was only 5 am. Sleep had not come easily to her last night, and once she had finally succumbed to her exhaustion, it did not last very long. Clarke Griffin was nervous. She had given up so much to get to where she was, and what if it was all for nothing? _What if I’m not good enough? What happens if I fail, just like my parents expect me to, and all I get out of this experience is that I’m not even good with kids, and my art isn’t as good as I think it is?_ She thought to herself, continually replaying scenarios in her head that she knew she couldn’t change. 

Clarke took a deep breath and closed her eyes again hoping that sleep would take her and put her worries to rest; she should’ve known she wouldn’t be so lucky. After another 15 minutes of tossing and turning, she gave up and decided to get up for the day. _Maybe I'll head over to the house and make a nice breakfast for everyone for when they all wake up. Today is a really big day for everyone after all._ She decided against changing, knowing that the last of the summer heat would keep her warm on her short journey outside. So Clarke prodded over to the house, in her sleep shorts and tank on a mission. 

When Clarke entered the residence, she went straight for the coffee machine. _Not like you need it today with how much energy you seemingly have,_ she thought to herself, rolling her eyes, as she poured the coffee beans into the grinder. She heard a faint noise behind her and quickly turned about to see Lexa looking at her sleepily, with a mildly confused look on her face.

“Oh Lexa, hi. Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you," Clarke said, cheeks rosy with embarrassment. “I was having some trouble sleeping so I figured I might as well come inside and start breakfast for everyone. I didn’t know that..” 

“Clarke, breathe, it’s ok. I didn't have very much luck sleeping either," Lexa smiled sleepily at her. “I was thinking about grabbing a glass of tea and then watching something on tv to help pass the time. Would you like to join me?” Lexa looked at her, with what Clarke was sure was a tinge of hope. “It’s a little early yet to start preparing breakfast I think,” Lexa teased and padded over to the cupboard to grab a cup for her tea.

“Sure,” Clarke responded, her smile beaming with happiness. “I’m just going to finish up making my coffee, and then I will join you.”

They worked silently, side by side, in the kitchen preparing their drinks before heading towards the living room and taking a seat on the sofa to watch the television. 

***

When Lexa started to stir, after an hour or so, she inhaled the faintest smell of coconut before she opened her eyes. She took a deep breath, thankful that she finally got a bit of sleep and would hopefully now be able to make it through the day. She moved to stretch, but just as she was about to, she felt something warm press into her chest. Slightly startled, she opened her eyes and saw blur fabric directly in front of her face. She looked down to see the bottom of a chin, and some blonde strands of hair. It was Clarke. She was curled up against her, softly clutching the top of her shirt with her face burrowed into her chest. They must’ve both fallen asleep and gravitated towards each other.

Lexa sat up slightly, very carefully so as not to jostle the sleeping blonde so that she could see the clock. 6:55 am. Lexa glanced down at the blonde. She knew that Clarke had come in to make breakfast for everyone but watching Clarke sleep so peacefully she decided to make breakfast herself and not to wake the blonde. She sat fully up, and her hand reached out instinctively, tucking blonde strands behind cute little ears. It’s just a casual touch, a friendly touch even. No need to make a big deal out of it. She told herself, deciding, this time, to not chastise herself for letting the small amount of happiness she was feeling soar freely.

***

After breakfast was all finished and everyone was ready to go, they decided to all go in one vehicle to drop Tris off at school, and then Lexa would bring Clarke back home, and she would take the SUV to school. Clarke was tired but ready for her day and very thankful for the sleep she had gotten this morning.

“Aden, can you please stop with all that racket? I am trying to focus here,” Clarke heard Tris say, patiently to her brother in the back seat. “I’m going over my ABC's, and I keep losing track.” Aden just coo’ed happily to his sister and continued on with what he was previously doing. 

“Tris my love, you don’t need to practice. Just focus on having fun today and meeting your new friends and classmates,” Lexa told her daughter. “This is your very first day of school ever. It only happens once, so enjoy it.”

“Nuh-uh, mommy. It’s Clarke’s first day today too, and she’s like 30,” Tris told her mom confidently, to which Lexa heard Clarke giggle. Lexa looked over at the blonde, and they shared a small smile. “Can you please turn the music up? Aden may enjoy his baby babbles, but I’m a big girl,” Tris said, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Lexa and Clarke both reached for the volume dial at the same time, and their hands brushed together. Both momentarily pulling back and sharing a bashful smile. Lexa reached out and turned the music up a bit, giving Clarke another smile. The rest of the drive was spent in silence, sharing smiles, whenever green met blue. 

When they pulled up at Tris’s new school, Lexa’s facade cracked a little bit, and when she looked over at Clarke, Clarke saw the vulnerability and fear in her eyes. Clarke reached out her hand and placed it on top of Lexa’s which was resting on the gear shift. Lexa gave her a small smile before letting Tris know that they have arrived. 

“Mommy, can I go in by myself?” Tris’s asked Lexa, as her mom was unbuckling her from her seat. “I’m a big girl now; I can do it myself. I promise,” Tris finished, with a big confident smile.

“I really wanted to walk you in Prisa, this is a big day not just for you, for all of us,” Lexa said to her daughter, who looked absolutely defeated. “But if that’s what you want love, then that’s alright with me,” Clarke watched on as the sadness and vulnerability seemed to come back to Lexa.

Tris jumped up excitedly and kissed her mom on the cheek. She started walking towards the large building, but after only a few steps she tentatively turned around and glanced at Clarke and Lexa before hurrying back their way.

“Maybe you could come in with me please?” Tris said as she grabbed Lexa’s hand. “You and Aden to Clarke?” She reached her other hand out towards Clarke.

“You bet little miss,” Clarke replied happily. “Let me grab your brother out of the car.” Clarke grabbed Aden, and they headed into the school, hand in hand, with Tris between them.

Once they arrived at room #03 Tris turned and gave her mom a big hug, and a kiss on the cheek. “Love you Mommy, and don’t worry I know; I’ll be safe and have fun. Pinky promise,” Tris said with a cheesy smile. She then turned to Clarke and Aden, and when Clarke leaned in for her hug Tris whispered in her ear “Can you please take care of mommy today. I don’t like it when she’s sad; it hurts my heart.” Then promptly kissed both Clarke and Aden on the cheek, before making her way into the room.

The trip back to the Woods residence was quiet. Clarke could feel the tension of Lexa’s mixed emotions heavy in the air. She noticed that Aden was passed out in the back seat, and could hear Tris’s words echoing in her mind ‘I don’t like it when she’s sad, it hurts my heart.’ Clarke took another glance at Lexa and noticed her grip on the steering wheel was rather tight; her knuckles tinged white. 

Clarke reached out her hand palm up towards Lexa on instinct, wanting to help soothe the brunettes worries. Lexa glanced at it momentarily, before returning her eyes to the road in front on her. Just as Clarke was about to pull her hand back, she felt Lexa intertwine her fingers with hers, her eyes not leaving the road, but her shoulders visibly deflating just the slightest bit. 

“She’s going to be okay you know. She’s a smart girl, and you’ve done a great job raising her Lexa,” Clarke said, with a small squeeze of her hand. Lexa gave her a tight smile, eyes still straight ahead. “Are you worried about something in particular, or is this your average parent first-day jitters?”

Lexa took a deep breath. And then she took another. Clarke wasn’t expecting her to reply, considering how private Lexa was and how she holds herself. So she was happily surprised when she heard Lexa’s voice ring out.

“We haven’t been apart much, or at all really. Especially since my wife passed,” She said with a tinge of sadness. “When I’m not with Tris or Aden, I can’t help but worry about them,” Lexa finished.

“I get that, I do. But you have been leaving them with me for a few days now, and we’ve survived. It’s pretty much the same thing,” Clarke said, rubbing her thumb on the back of Lexa’s palm in a comforting manner. 

“But it’s not the same. Not really at least,” Lexa said. 

“What do you mean?” Clarke asked, confused.

“I don’t know why, but I trust you, Clarke. I have since the moment you walked through the door.” Lexa said. “I don’t know why, and it doesn’t make sense, but at the same time it makes more sense than anything else,” Lexa said, instantly chastising herself for being so open and vulnerable. They pulled up at the residence and before Clarke had a chance to answer Lexa unravelled their fingers, put the car in park and was out the door. As Clarke watched, Lexa unbuckled Aden and carried him ever so gently inside the house, and she felt a warmness in her tummy. What a great feeling it was to know she was trusted. _And it doesn’t hurt that it’s Lexa trusting you she thought to herself._ Maybe she was getting a bit ahead of herself, but Clarke was starting to think maybe she and Lexa had the potential to be really good friends. 

Clarke made her way to the guest house to retrieve her book bags, and quickly got dressed in her ‘college attire.’ Once she was finished and ready to go, she made her way to the main residence to get the car keys so she could head to school. When she came through the back door, Lexa was coming down from upstairs where she had just laid Aden down to finish his nap. Her eyes went directly to Clarke’s cleavage, which Clarke paid no mind to because really who doesn’t like to appreciate her god given gifts, before meeting her eyes. “You look nice. I hope you have a good first day Clarke,” Lexa said to her, sincerely. 

“Thank you. I hope you and Aden have a good day as well,” She said as Lexa took off her baggy top revealing just a sports bra. She took note of Lexa’s sweats and realized she must be heading up to her studio to blow off some steam. She visibly swallowed, because Lexa in just a sports bra was a sight anyone with eyes would admire. “You said I could use one of the vehicles for work right?” She asked; to which Lexa nodded. “Do you have a preference on which one I take?” 

“Take the BMW if you’d like. The SUV is easier for picking up Tris, and won’t kill the young and single vibe you’ve got going on,” Lexa said with a little bit of a giggle, which sounded odd to Clarke’s ears, but she was happy Lexa seemed to be in a better mood. 

“Alright, thanks. I’ll see you guys later.” 

***

Clarke entered her first class of the day, Drawing and Textiles 400, running dangerously close to being late. She quickly scanned the class and noticed she had luckily made it there before the professor. The class was a breath of fresh air, easels and comfy stools, instead of tables and rock hard chairs. She could feel the excitement bubbling inside her, her qualms from this morning quickly forgotten. She made her way to the ‘middle’ section of the easels and chose her spot right next to a pretty looking blonde girl. 

“Hey, I’m Harper.” The blonde said and held out her hand towards Clarke in greeting. 

“Hi. I'm Clarke.” She responded, with a friendly smile. 

“Clarke hey, that’s unusual. I like it.” The blonde said before winking at Clarke and turned to her right. “This is Maya, and beside her is Miller. Well Nathan, but everyone calls him Miller.”

Clarke shook both their hands and introduced herself. Before she could say anything else, the professor walked in. 

“Hello everyone, I am Professor Marcus Kane, but Marcus is fine. Please, Mr. Kane was my father.” He joked, which elicited a small laugh for each of the students. “I’d like us all to go around and tell your peers your name, and one interesting thing about yourself. Also, why you chose this class if you’re willing to share.” He smiled brightly at the class. 

The students started going around and sharing the requested information. When it was Clarke’s turn, she didn’t even realize she had spaced out, until Harper tapped her leg. 

“Oh hi, I’m Clarke Griffin. Umm,” she started, not sure how much she felt comfortable divulging at this point. _Man, really should’ve been thinking about my answers,_ she chastised herself. “I chose to take this class as I want to work towards getting my art major. I’ve always been very passionate about art but wasn’t sure it was a feasible option for a future career. But I’ve decided that my love for art, outweighs any possible struggles that are yet to come.” She blushed a bit, realizing her answer was far longer than anyone else’s so far. “An interesting fact about myself? Well, I was supposed to be a boy, and my parents figured that by the time I was born it was too late to switch the name since they had been calling me ‘Clark’ throughout my mother’s whole pregnancy. Dad’s a big Superman fan, so they just added an ‘E’ and called it a day.” Clarke finished, she heard a few of the students giggle, and was happy when Marcus gave her a warm look and moved onto the next person. 

After all the students finished, Professor Kane gave them a rundown of how the class was going to run and what he expected of all of them. He explained to them that 12 projects would need to be finished by the midterm and that they could go at their own pace. He would direct them, and give them suggested outlines and techniques but otherwise, he was only there for help or opinions if they needed it. 

He then went on and told them that their first project was going to be a ‘self-portrait,’ a picture of how you see yourself. And for the following project they would be teaming up with one of their peers and doing a portrait of the other person, and they would compare/contrast. 

Clarke couldn’t help but be a little bit nervous. She had confidence, but like anyone, she had her flaws and felt nervous about being vulnerable and putting them to paper. She took a few deep breaths and dove into her project, and before she knew it, the teacher was dismissing them and reminding them about the optional studio time later that afternoon, and evening, and bidding them farewell. 

Clarke started packing up her things and brought her canvas over to her designated storage area. She turned around and nearly ran into Harper. 

“Woah, slow down there,” Harper joked. “Any interest in coming out with us later for a celebratory drink for surviving our first day of university?” She asked flirtatiously. 

“I would love to,” Clarke started, reading the joy on Harper's face, “but I actually work tonight. Maybe next time?”

“Definitely,” Harper responded, with a hopeful look on her face. She then jogged off to meet her friends, and Clarke couldn’t even pretend that she didn’t look. _Could be fun,_ Clarke thought to herself. _She’s really pretty, but she’s not Lexa._ Her brain promptly reminded her. She groaned and made her way to the parking lot. She felt confident about where she was with her first project, so she decided that she would opt out of the studio time allotted for today. 

***

Lexa had spent all morning thinking about the soft moment she had spent with Clarke this morning. _She's so sweet and thoughtful. And beautiful, my god is she ever beautiful,_ Lexa thought to herself. _She may be the most beautiful woman I have ever met,_ she continued her train of thought and instantly winced at the memory of her late wife. _One of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met,_ she corrected herself.

Her and Aden had had a great time at yoga this morning, but it had resulted in Aden becoming very tired and wanting to go for an early nap. So Lexa had decided to go over her regular ‘sweat it out’ routine to get her last workout of the day in before school pickup and work later. She peeled her top and sweats off so she was down to her sports bra and spandex shorts so she wouldn’t overheat herself. She ran through the entire routine and then grabbed the pile of enrolment papers from the desk situated off to the side and made her way downstairs to go over all the applications and make sure had all the information she needed.

Clarke quietly entered the main residence through the garage, assuming that Lexa would be upstairs putting Aden for his nap since it was his usual nap time. When she got to the kitchen, she stopped dead in her tracks, and her jaw may have hit the floor. There in the kitchen was Lexa, in her sports bra, and short shorts in all her sweaty glory with reading glasses hanging off the end of her nose. 

Lexa glanced up and smirked at her knowingly, before returning to her task at hand. 

“Hey, uh, sorry. I thought you’d, uh, that you’d be upstairs putting Aden to bed,” Clarke stumbled through her sentence. “I was just, uh, going to sneak in and umm,” she paused. “Put the keys back. I’ll just go do that.” She started to walk away, before turning around “I didn’t know you wore glasses, I haven’t ever seen you wear them before,” Clarke finished, more strongly.

“I usually wear contacts, but one fell out at yoga this morning, and I’m still waiting for the new shipment,” Lexa responded, smirk still firmly planted on her face. “I don’t like to wear them when I’m dancing because they usually fall off. Well exactly like this actually,” she finished and quickly demonstrated a few movements, one of them being her dropping her butt to the ground and promptly bringing it back out, but not before pushing it out. 

Clarke subconsciously crossed her legs, jaw once again on the floor and a heat was creeping up her face. “Gotcha,” she muttered. “I’m uh, I have a few things I need to catch up on. I’ll uh, see you later?” She asked.

“Yes, see you later Clarke,” Lexa responded, dragging out her name. Clarke internally groaned and immediately made her way to the guest house. _Well, that was fun,_ she thought to herself. _Keep it in your pants woman. She's just being friendly,_ she scolded herself. Once she was in the guest house, she headed promptly for the shower.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter we saw both Tris and Clarke’s first days of school, and then Clarke needed a glass of water at the end of the chapter lol.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the delay guys, but I promise I’m keeping up with this fic, it’s just taking some time. Myself and my beta have been busy, but I will keep updating! 
> 
> As always, thank you to my amazing beta who takes the time out of her already busy days to read and fix up my jumbles. I don’t think I’d have the confidence to post any of these chapters without her fine tuning. 
> 
> This chapter has some ‘heavy’ moments surrounding loss/death so read with caution if that’s something that may trigger you. Thanks for the support! <3

Chapter 12

The first week of school had gone rather smoothly, at least for the most part. It was a bit of a shock on the system for Clarke to go to school, and then come home and be with the kids. She was finding herself exhausted at the end of the day, but she figured her body would soon adapt to the ‘new routine,’ and on the plus side today was Friday, so she had 2 reasonably comfortable, laid-back days ahead of her. 

She looked down at an almost asleep Aden in her arms and couldn’t help but smile at his cute little face, and the soft sleep sounds coming from the toddler. It was crazy the amount of love and protectiveness that she felt for Tris and Aden already, in such a short amount of time. She bent her head down, and gently placed a kiss to his temple, before lowering his little body into his crib. “Sleep well little man and sweet dreams,” she whispered to him, before pulling his small blanket up and over his body. 

Clarke turned and walked toward the dresser, turned his monitor on, and tiptoed out of the room, slowly shutting his door. After listening for a minute to make sure Aden was going to stay asleep, she made her way down the hallway Tris’ room.

“Hey, Little Miss. Your brothers asleep, so it’s your turn,” Clarke said to Tris, upon entering her room. “You got yourself dressed in your pyjamas?” Clarke asked, to which Tris puffed out her chest, and proudly nodded. “Wow, you’re getting so much bigger every day,” Clarke added, as she scooped Tris up and gave her a little tickle before placing her into her bed. “What book are we reading tonight?” Clarke asked her.

Tris smiled excitedly and pulled a book out from underneath her covers that Clarke didn’t recognize. “We got to go to the school's library today, there were so many books, Clarke,” she said excitedly. “I found the most perfect one, can you read it to me please?” Tris asked, with her big puppy dog eyes, and passed the book to Clarke.

Clarke grabbed the book from Tris, climbed into the small brunette’s bed and started to read it to her. “No matter what, written by Debi Gliori,” Clarke stated. The book started out fairly average, a little fox who was testing how far he could push and still be loved. But as she got closer to the end, her chest started to get a little bit heavy when the ‘big’ fox started explaining to the ‘little’ fox what unconditional love was. How whether near or far, the love always stayed with you. She paused momentarily and couldn’t help but let her mind wander to her parents. 

“Clarke, there are still some pages left,” Tris said, as she curled up closer to her. Clarke resumed her reading until the end and closed up the book. She looked over at Tris, who seemed to be asleep, so she bent down and gave her a kiss on the cheek and started to get up. 

“Clarke,” Tris asked faintly, her voice laced with sleep.

“Yes sweetheart,” Clarke replied and looked back in Tris’ direction.

“Does my mama’s love go on too, just like the book?” She asked, opening her sleepy eyes a little bit.

“Of course, Tris. Your mom loves you very much. I hear her tell you every day,” Clarke answered her with a soft smile. 

“No, I mean my other mama, the one who went away to heaven.” Tris corrected, and Clarke felt a pang of sadness in her heart. Tris’ eyes were now wide open, full of questions that Clarke didn’t know the answers to.

“Of course, her love goes on Tris. She will always love you. Just like the book says, no matter what,” Clarke said in response, and she reached over and started stroking Tris’ back.

“I miss her sometimes. Actually, a lot. But it makes mommy sad when she has to remember her. I don’t like it when mommy’s sad,” Tris said, barely getting the last word entirely out before a yawn took over.

Clarke snuggled back down with her. “It’s ok to miss her and talk about her you know. Your mom won’t be sad forever sweetheart. It just takes time for the heart to heal,” Clarke said to Tris in a hushed tone, but she wasn’t sure if she heard her because her breaths had evened back out. Clarke snuggled her closely for another minute, and gave her a kiss on the forehead before she whispered a “Sweet dreams Little Miss.” She then hopped out of the small bed and headed out of the room with a heart full of sadness for the pain that this little family that she was starting to genuinely care about carried.

***

Clarke was curled up on the couch, in front of the tv watching the newest episode of Greys Anatomy that was recorded on the PVR when Lexa got home from work. Upon hearing the door opening, Clarke sat up on the couch to make eye contact with Lexa. 

“Hey Lexa, how was work?” Clarke asked, casually.

“It was good, thank you. I spent most of the evening going over the other instructor's notes, trying to pinpoint what we can change to help things run a little more smoothly next week,” Lexa answered, as she hung her purse up on the hook and put her keys on the hallway table. She turned around and flashed Clarke a small warm smile. “How were the kids tonight?” She asked, making her way to the kitchen.

“They were good, they went to bed pretty easily. The kids seem pretty worn out from the week,” Clarke replied with an easy smile. “There’s a little snack in the oven, I figured you might be hungry after work, and there’s something I wanted to talk with you about,” Clarke said nervously. “If you’re not too tired that is.”

Lexa looked up at Clarke as her face completely drained of colour. “Did something happen?” Lexa asked, seemingly upset.

“No, it’s nothing major,” Clarke said, as she got up and made her way to the kitchen. “Relax, it’s ok. Seriously,” Clarke finished, and placed a hand on Lexa’s shoulder, hoping to help calm her a little. “Let’s just grab a snack, and maybe some wine,” she said with another smile, wondering where Lexa went to make her react like she did. 

“Ok,” Lexa replied, and let out a long breath. They each grabbed a meat pie from the oven and filled up a wine glass before they took a seat at the island in the kitchen. 

Clarke took a couple small bites of the pie, while she tried to make sense of her jumbled thoughts and tried to figure out how to bring up the earlier comments from Tris. 

“Did something happen today? Are you not happy working here Clarke?” Lexa asked timidly, the question laced with sadness.

“No, no, it's not that at all Lexa. I love working here and being with you guys,” Clarke replied earnestly. She took a deep breath. “I know we haven’t been in each other's lives very long, but I want you to know you, Aden and Tris hold a very special place in my heart.” Clarke reached over to place her hand on top of Lexa’s. “Tris said something earlier that broke my heart and put me in a hard place of not knowing how to answer her, and not knowing where the boundaries lie in regard to what you’re comfortable with me talking to them about,” Clarke stopped to take a breath, and gauge Lexa’s reaction. Her face held a look of major confusion. “I don’t know if I’m overstepping, and if you’re not ready to talk about it, that’s fine too. Like I said, I get it, we haven’t known each other long, but I figured it was worth a shot so that if the topic comes up again, I know how to answer her, and not feel so helpless. Do you think you could tell me about Tris and Aden’s other mom?” Clarke finished, her voice shaky and nervous again. Clarke looked up from her hand that still sat on top of Lexa's, and her eyes lock onto forest green eyes staring back at her. She couldn’t quite pinpoint the look on Lexa’s face. After what felt like a lifetime but was probably closer a minute of silence from Lexa, she finally answered her. 

“What,” Lexa’s voice cracked a little on the first word, so she cleared her throat and started again. “What did she say?” she asked. 

“She checked out a book from the library at school today, she was so in awe and proud of herself, it was seriously cute,” Clarke chuckled. “Anyways, the book was ‘No Matter What by Debi Gliori’ have you heard of it?” Clarke asked, to which Lexa shook her head. “Well, to quickly sum it up, it’s about unconditional love, and how love always stays with you no matter what. There was a part that mentioned something about love still going on, even when some people around us aren’t here anymore. After I finished reading, she asked me if her Mama’s love still goes on and on like with a book,” Clarke said as she unconsciously reached up to wipe away a single tear that had made its way down Lexa’s cheek. “I told her of course it does, that I hear her tell you that every day..”

“She meant Costia. She doesn’t call me Mama, that’s what she called her,” Lexa told her. “What do you want to know Clarke? I told you before that I trust you, so if this is something you need from me, I will try my best,” Lexa finished with a tight smile.

“Anything that you are willing to share, I’m here to listen to,” Clarke said softly, turning Lexa’s palm up and lacing their fingers together. “Maybe start with what happened? Why she left?” Clarke prompted her. She knew Costia didn’t leave, not in the way she was insinuating, but she wanted to leave it wide open for Lexa to share what she was comfortable sharing. 

“She didn’t leave, not intentionally at least. We were coming home from my ultrasound appointment with Aden, and we got into a bit of an argument. I looked away from the road for a couple seconds and lost control of the car. The last thing I remember is seeing headlights through Tris and Costia’s side of the car, and the next thing I was waking up in the hospital and being told that Costia didn't make it.” Lexa stopped momentarily, took a deep breath to ground herself again before she continued on. “Luckily Tris and I made it out without any major physical setbacks, I almost lost Aden and was thereafter labelled as a ‘high-risk pregnancy,’ and the clinic kept a close eye on me.” Lexa released a long breath, and unlaced her fingers from Clarke’s, needing a minute to herself. “I ended up having Aden a bit early as a result of the grief and strain of being a single parent to a toddler, but he’s here today, and healthy now so I vowed to look ahead and try not to focus on the past,” Lexa finished, shocking herself even with how much she had shared. With Clarke it was just too easy, something about her made Lexa feel so at ease. 

When Lexa looked up at Clarke, she expected to see pity in her eyes and was shocked to see a level of understanding there instead. 

“I have no words that can say as much as needs to be said, Lexa. I am so terribly sorry that this happened to you and your beautiful family,” Clarke said, hoping from the look on Lexa’s face that she hadn’t overstepped. She smiled at Lexa, trying to reassure her silently, knowing that her words would never be enough. “I lost my Grandma last summer, and she was the most important person in the world to me. It was so hard, but I can’t imagine losing the love of your life. You are so strong Lexa, you know that right? You have done amazingly for your children, especially considering what you have been through.”

“Thank you, Clarke,” were the only words Lexa could make come out. 

“Do you want to watch a show or something? If you’re too tired I totally get it, it has been a crazy couple of weeks. I just thought maybe after all that, you might not want to be alone,” Clarke mentioned to Lexa, as she reached for the remote. 

“Sure, did you want to finish Greys?” Lexa asked, happy to move onto a lighter topic. Her chest felt a little bit lighter, and she was glad to not have that intense sinking feeling she usually got any time she thought, or talked, about Costia.

***

Another week passed, and to Clarke’s surprise, nothing had changed between her and Lexa. She figured that after their talk the previous weekend that Lexa may close herself off a bit like she had done in the past, but they were still sharing small smiles here and there, and Lexa seemed more relaxed around her as well.

Clarke was just finishing up the dishes from the evening when a huge splash of water came out of the sink and splashed all over the front of her shirt. “Ah shit, really?” She groaned and pulled the garment over her head to hang on the towel bar. She finished up the last of the dishes and wiped the counters down, and just as she was putting the clothes in the dirty bin, she heard the garage door slam shut. She looked over to see Lexa, standing, staring at her like a deer in headlights. Not knowing what had her so tense, Clarke decided to proceed as usual.

“Hey Lexa, how was work?” She asked, casually.

“Work was uh, work was good,” Lexa replied and made her way further into the house. “How were the kids?” 

“They were great, they went to bed easily again. The kid's schedule keeps them pretty busy, so it’s been fairly easy around here.” Clarke smiled happily and leaned back against the counter. As she did, she felt the cold marble on her back and suddenly realized why Lexa was momentarily shocked coming in. “Oh jeez, sorry about this,” Clarke said, as she gestured to her bra-clad torso. “I spilled some water on my shirt, so I was just letting it dry out.” She said, as she reached over and grabbed her shirt. “It’s still wet, so I should probably go and change. I’ll be right back.” She said, heading for the sliding glass door.

Lexa nodded, even though Clarke was gone so fast she wouldn’t have seen it. As soon as the back door shut, Lexa took a deep breath to compose herself. _Get it together Lexa, we’ve been over this. You don’t need to be lusting over your employee. What you guys have, works, so get a grip!_ She mentally chastised herself, but before she could really make the point sink, she heard the back door open and close. She turned around to see Clarke in her pyjama’s, which just happened to be booty shorts and a tank top. Lexa groaned internally, as she felt the all too familiar warmness in her abdomen, and between her thighs, that usually accompanied Clarke’s presence. 

“I’m just going to grab a quick snack, then I’ll probably turn in for the night,” Clarke said, as she walked over towards Lexa, who happened to be in front of the pantry. Clarke reached up behind Lexa’s head to open the pantry door, not realizing how close she suddenly was to Lexa. She looked down at Lexa, who was staring at her with her pupils so enlarged they were barely showing any of Clarke’s favourite green. She chanced a look down at Lexa’s lips, and couldn’t help but wonder, for the millionth time, what kissing her would be like. Those lips that she had been thinking about for the last few weeks were SO close. With that thought, she also wondered what she would taste like, which sent a jolt right through her and straight to her core. 

Clarke subconsciously bit her bottom lip, and her eyes returned to Lexa’s, whose eyes were now promptly staring at her lip that was still between her teeth. She felt Lexa shift closer towards her, and she felt herself leaning in, her brain short-circuiting with how close she was to Lexa’s lips now. 

The jingle of her cell phone ringtone promptly snapped them both out of their trance, Clarke took a step back and grabbed her phone off the counter from where she had left it earlier and checked the caller ID. An incoming call from Raven. _Of course,_ Clarke thought to herself. 

“Hey Ray, what’s up?” She asked casually, hoping that her annoyance wasn’t showing through. All she had been able to think about for weeks is kissing Lexa, and tonight she had been so close. Lexa leaned in too, as a matter of fact, she was the first to lean in, Clarke reminded her already in overdrive brain. 

“Hey, babe. O and I were just wondering if you wanted to hit up Grounders tonight? It’s been awhile since we’ve been out. What do you say?” Raven asked her on the other end of the call. 

“I’m already in my PJs Ray, but thanks for thinking of me. I must go; don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Bye.” Clarke quickly finished the call and clicked end, not giving Raven a chance to reply. When she turned around, she realized that Lexa must’ve gone to bed. So, she grabbed a granola bar from the pantry and made her way out to the guest house, hoping that Lexa wasn’t upstairs regretting what had almost happened, because Clarke certainly wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Let me know what you thought in the comments.


End file.
